'We will gain seats in ...': Kharge's big prediction for INDIA bloc

There is a state wise strategy to defeat BJP, says Kharge.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party has been scoring well in every state in the ongoing polls as compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In an interview with the Times of India, Kharge said the Congress will defeat BJP and come to power. “The grassroots’ feedback is that people are coming forward to fight this election and we are just helping them. So, the BJP claim of 400-500 paar is impossible. The PM is denting his image by telling such lies,” he told TOI.

According to the Congress chief, price rise and unemployment are two major concerns. “They (voters) are saying if we don’t have the basics of survival, then what will we do? And the weaker sections, Dalits, tribals, backwards are scared that a majority to BJP can result in a change of the Constitution,” he said.

Scene across states

Kharge said the backwards, extremely backwards and Dalits are strongly backing the INDIA bloc in Bihar. He said the BJP’s 2019 tally in Uttar Pradesh will take a hit as the SP and Congress are campaigning together and attracting more voters. “The hard work of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav will shore up the opposition. In Rajasthan, we were wiped out in the last two elections, but we will get many seats this time. In MP, we will go up from one seat in 2019, and similarly in Chhattisgarh. We are getting a decent tally in Haryana, and in Punjab we will retain our tally,” said Kharge.

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During the interview, Kharge also expressed confidence that the MVA alliance will obtain a good score in Maharashtra. “We are gaining in Telangana, Karnataka. In Kerala, we are winning, but whoever wins there, Congress or Left, will be against BJP. We are fighting well in Himachal and Uttarakhand. The fact is that we are gaining in every state while BJP is falling. So, how will the BJP gain seats or come back to power?” said Kharge.

He also rubbished the BJP claim that there will be “political instability” if the INDIA bloc wins. “During the UPA terms, Congress won 140-odd and 206 seats, but Manmohan Singh govt ran for 10 years, and we were successful in bringing good policies like MGNREGA, RTI, RTE, NFSA and Indo-US nuclear deal. If you consider this, do you really think we cannot run a government for five years? This is a bogey Modi is raising, despite the opposition having proved it for 10 years. Should I call the PM an intelligent person for such remarks,” said Kharge.

Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that the Congress wants to favour Muslims, Kharge said there is a Constitution in the country and people are closely watching the PM. “The reservations for SC, ST, OBCs are in employment and education, while SC/ST also have political reservation. Nobody can snatch it from them. Then why try to scare the people? On the contrary, our serious charge is that BJP wants to take away the very Constitution to deprive the people of their rights… What the PM is claiming is juvenile and I sympathise with him,” said the Congress chief.

Kharge also said the Congress contesting 326 seats, the lowest in the party’s history, is not a concern. “We created a big alliance of 26 parties, and we had to give space to allies in states where they are strong. So, the message that has gone out is that we have formed a strong coalition to defeat BJP,” he said.

According to him, there are no contradictions within the INDIA bloc and there is a state wise strategy to defeat BJP. “Whoever wins in Kerala will go against BJP. Similarly, we have allied with AAP in Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, but in Punjab, Congress and AAP are the top two parties, and they cannot join hands. We worked out alliances strategically,” he told TOI.