Kolkata, Apr 7 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday hit out Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he “thrives on politics of hate and division among communities” and wanted to “assume power in Bengal based on religious polarisation”.
Launching the party’s manifesto for the upcoming Assembly polls, Kharge said voters have three choices — TMC’s corruption-based administration, BJP’s hatred and polarisation, and Congress’s model of welfare, jobs and reforms.
“The PM thrives on hate and division among communities. He wants to assume power here based on polarisation. People will have to choose between short-term politics and long-term progress,” he said.
Alleging that the Mamata Banerjee government has failed to bring about developmental change in the state despite remaining in power for 15 years, Kharge said neither the state has plans to change the situation nor the BJP-led Centre has done anything about it except for hollow talks.
“The BJP never talks about Bengal’s economy. It speaks only of polarisation around which its politics revolves. It offers no clarity on job creation, revival of industries or a roadmap for youth. It hinges on the formula of isolation, hatred and fear,” the veteran Congress leader alleged.
Kharge accused the saffron party of operating on the “politics of intimidation”.
“It has taken control over many institutions and has poached many Congress leaders by intimidating them using the ED, Income Tax department, vigilance or criminal cases as intimidation tools,” he alleged.
Kharge pledged a monthly grant of Rs 2,000 to women, and an annual grant of Rs 15,000 to peasants, Rs 10 lakh health cover for every family in the state, jobs for youth and setting up of AI training centres in all districts are part of our manifesto promises as means of “rebuilding state economy through relief, reform and future”.
“Kolkata, once known for investments and job opportunities, is now a place from where youths are migrating to Maharashtra, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad. That will give you an idea of how the economic atmosphere has deteriorated here. Our Bengal manifesto takes this challenge head-on and offers a solution. We will start a Bengal employment guarantee mission where startups will be funded, and skill development will be supported by special focus on AI education,” Kharge said.
He said the party’s guarantees focus on women empowerment, farmer welfare, healthcare and ensuring law and order free from political interference.
“We have fulfilled our guarantees in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal. Bengal not only needs to survive, it must make its mark felt in the rest of the country,” the Congress president said.
On the party’s decision to go solo in Bengal and contesting in all 294 seats after a gap of two decades, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh drew parallels with Biren Nag-directed 1962 Bollywood blockbuster ‘Bees Saal Baad’.
“Like the movie ‘Bees Saal Baad’, we are fighting on our own in Bengal after our contest in 2006. It is a booster dose for our party and our workers as well as for the people of the state. The Congress has found new oxygen here,” Ramesh said.
Calling the SIR process “a dangerous weapon in BJP’s armoury which it has fired on West Bengal”, Ramesh cited how the descendents of painter Nandalal Bose, who drew 22 illustrations in the original editions of the Constitution of India, were removed from the electoral rolls of the state.
Referring to the debate in Parliament over Vande Mataram three months ago, Ramesh alleged that the BJP was trying to “insult Rabindranath Tagore and wipe off the country’s National Anthem”.
“The BJP’s intention was to target Tagore by keeping the gun on Bankim babu’s shoulders. The truth is, Tagore, in the presence of Gandhi, Nehru, Bose and other top Congress leaders at the 1937 AICC conference in Kolkata, helped decide how to adopt the National Song. This is BJP’s brand of cultural nationalism,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh claimed the Congress’s ‘third alternative’ showed Bengal getting rid of hate politics as well as the deficiencies in the current TMC administration.
“The TMC and the BJP are two sides of the same coin. Bengal needs a new coin,” said Ramesh. PTI SCH SMY MNB
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