Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday lashed out at the BJP saying that the saffron party mixes religion with politics and incites people, while the Congress party fights for secularism, equality and social justice.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kharge said that PM comes to Manipur to seek votes, but didn’t get time to visit the state when the north-eastern state is “in pain”.
“Modi has time to walk by the sea, take a dip in the sea but has not come to Manipur yet. Modi keeps chanting ‘Ram, Ram’, but he should not do it to garner votes. The BJP mixes religion and politics, and incites people,” he said at the launch of the yatra.
“The BJP has ‘Ram’ on its lips but carries a knife by their side. They should not have such an approach towards people,” the Congress president said.
He said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is being taken out to save the Constitution, democracy and stop fascist forces, adding that through the Yatra, the party will raise the issue of unemployment, price rise and farmer’s rights.
He also said that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had called Manipur “jewel of India”, which was reiterated by former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
“The people of Manipur fought for the independence of the country. The people here are very brave and have contributed towards the unity of the country,” he said.
The Congress president said he was proud that a leader of his party was moving from door-to-door to spread the message of peace. Kharge unveiled the bus on which Gandhi and other Congress leaders will travel from Manipur to Mumbai as part of the 6,713 km Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai for 67 days.