Satna: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday claimed that democracy will end in the country if the 'Modi-Shah sarkar' returns to power and accused the ruling party of telling lies.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, Kharge said they will also scrap the Constitution.
"They will scrap the Constitution scripted by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. If you want to keep it alive, uphold the right to vote for women, labourers and farmers, then vote for the Congress and its 'panja' (hand) symbol," the Congress leader appealed to the voters.
The BJP has been rejecting the opposition charges that it would tinker with the Constitution if elected for the third term.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to address the rally in Satna but his visit was cancelled as he took ill, a party leader said earlier, adding that Kharge would fill in for him. Later, Kharge said Gandhi was suffering from food poisoning.
The Satna Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the second phase on April 26.
"Democracy will end if Modi-Shah's government returns to power," Kharge claimed addressing the public meeting held in support of Congress candidate Siddharth Kushwaha.
The only work the BJP does is to abuse Congress, and the Gandhi family and ruin the Constitution, Kharge alleged.
"Modi is saying that even Dr Ambekdar can't change the Constitution. These are his words, not mine" If it is true why do your MPs and MLAs say that give us a two-thirds majority, we will change the Constitution... Anantkumar Hedge (MP from Karnataka) says we want 400 seats to change the Constitution. These are their words," he said.
Kharge's comments came a day after Rahul Gandhi during a poll rally in Bihar accused the BJP at the Centre of trying to 'scrap' the Constitution and vowed that the opposition INDIA bloc will 'foil the attempt'.
PM Modi has asserted in recent days that he respects the Constitution and nobody can change it.
In an election rally in MP's Hoshangabad district on April 14, he had slammed the Congress saying it was spreading rumours that the Constitution and democracy were in danger.
"No sooner, the son of a poor family became the prime minister, Congress spread rumours that the Constitution and democracy were in danger. Modi has reached here due to the Constitution scripted by Babasaheb Ambedkar," the PM had said.
Kharge said the anti-BJP coalition INDIA will get a 'huge mandate' in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections held on April 19. Six of the 29 seats in MP went to vote in the first phase.
Accusing PM Modi of telling lies, Kharge said the PM keeps talking about "Modi ki guarantee" without uttering his party's name. "He had said that if he became the prime minister, Rs 15 lakh would be given to every person by bringing back the black money stashed abroad. Did you get it," he asked.
Modi had also told the young people of this country that 2 crore jobs would be generated every year, said Kharge continuing his criticism of the PM.
"Now 10 years have gone. Did you all get 20 crore jobs? Ask the BJP about their 20 crore jobs (promise). Ask them where is the Rs 15 lakh when they come seeking your votes," the senior Congress leader said.
Kharge said Modi had promised to double farmers' income but that too has not happened.
Listing out the prices of cooking gas cylinders, milk, flour and pulses when the Congress-led UPA was in power before 2014, Kharge said rates of these commodities have skyrocketed in the past ten years.
"These are Modi's acche din (good days). This man always says I will bring acche din. He tells so many lies. That's why I call him ' jhoothon ka sardar'," Kharge said.
The country's unemployment rate is the highest in the past 45 years but there is no account of it, he said.
Kharge also claimed that the country's assets like airports, roads, land, public sector undertakings and big factories are being sold to two men.
"Who are these two men? Adani and Ambani are buyers. Who are the sellers? Modi and Shah," Kharge said.
Loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore of rich people have been waived but the loans of poor farmers are yet to be written off, he said. Farm loans of Rs 72,000 crore were waived under the leadership of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.
Kharge also slammed PM Modi and Union minister Shah for taking those into the BJP fold who were "corrupt" till they were in other parties.
It seems Shah has a "big laundry with a washing machine to wash those who are corrupt" before inducting them into the BJP, the Congress leader claimed.
Besides Satna, Rewa, Tikamgarh, Khajuraho, Damoh and Hoshangabad seats will vote in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 26.
