The Congress manifesto bears the imprint of the Muslim League and whatever part of it is left is completely dominated by the leftists, PM Modi had said at rallies in Saharanpur and Ajmer last week.The Congress on Monday complained to the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. While one complaint is against PM Modi for his “Muslim League imprint” jab and another alleges that Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the BJP’s candidate for Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, provided “false information” in his election affidavit.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took to social platform X and said, “My colleagues @salman7khurshid, @MukulWasnik, @Pawankhera and @gurdeepsappal have just met with the Election Commission and presented and argued 6 complaints, including 2 against the PM himself.”
“This is the time for the Election Commission to demonstrate its independence by ensuring a level playing field for all parties. We live in hope that the Hon’ble Commission will uphold its Constitutional mandate. For our part, we will continue to pursue all avenues, political and legal, to expose this regime,” Ramesh added.
The Congress manifesto bears the imprint of the Muslim League and whatever part of it is left is completely dominated by the leftists, PM Modi had said at rallies in Saharanpur and Ajmer last week.
“We have raised many issues… including how the Prime Minister referred to our manifesto as a ‘copy of the Muslim League’ and about Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s election affidavits,” Congress’ Pawan Khera told reporters.
The “Muslim League imprint” remark drew a fierce counter from Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who accused the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah for “spreading falsehood”.
In a swipe at the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said “Everyone knows how (Syama) Prasad Mookerjee “formed his governments in Bengal, Sindh, and NWFP (North West Frontier Province) in the 1940s in coalition with the Muslim League”.
“Modi-Shah’s political and ideological ancestors supported the British and Muslim League against the Indians in the freedom struggle…” Kharge posted on X.
“Modi-Shah’s ideological ancestors opposed Gandhi’s call for Quit India in 1942, which was chaired by Maulana Azad. There is a stink of RSS in Modiji’s speeches… BJP’s electoral graph is plunging day by day. Therefore RSS has started remembering its best friend – the Muslim League!” Kharge added.
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, “We are deeply saddened by what the Prime Minister says in his speeches, what he has said about our manifesto is a bundle of lies, we are deeply saddened by this. You can do a degree anywhere with any other party, you can argue it, you can dissect it, but to say that a national level party which has been involved in our national movement would write such a bundle of lies in its manifesto, whereas a very good manifesto has been written.”
“He also said that this seems to be the manifesto of the parties which were opposing the independence of our secular society…We are extremely saddened by this matter and we understand that the Prime Minister has no right to say such a thing. We have put this matter before the Election Commission and have made a special request to them to take it seriously and take action on it,” the former Union minister was quoted as saying.
The Congress manifesto, which was released on Friday, promised to increase reservation for marginalised groups, including Dalits, past the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent cap.
“The Muslim League talked about reservation on basis of religion in 1929… Congress is repeating the same thing. The way there is talk of reservation on basis of religion and promise of reservation beyond 50 per cent… who is to be benefitted, Congress should make it clear,” BJP chief JP Nadda had remarked.
Among other key promises, the Congress manifesto focuses on job creation and infrastructure development, guaranteeing MSP, or minimum support price, to farmers and direct cash transfers to women heads of below poverty line families.