A fiery exchange of words erupted in the political arena as Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent ‘Quit India’ remark aimed at the Opposition.
“Unfortunately, in our country, there is a section of the opposition who even today won’t do anything themselves and won’t allow others to do anything either. They are stuck with this attitude,” PTI quoted PM Modi as saying earlier.
“Inspired by the Quit India Movement, the entire country is now roaring Quit India for every evil, saying ‘corruption, quit India’, ‘dynasty, quit India’, ‘appeasement, quit India’,” Modi added.
In response to the PM’s accusation of “negative politics” by the opposition, Kharge declared it a “victory” that those who had seemingly forgotten the significance of the ‘Quit India Movement’ for 75 years are now invoking it. The Quit India Movement anniversary on August 9 served as the backdrop for the political squabble.
“Prime Minister Modi, For the last 10 years, you have only done negative politics of divisiveness. You are now uttering bitter words for INDIA as well.”
“You have not been able to control Manipur violence in the last three months. Your divisive politics has pitted communities against each other, leading to a civil war-like situation. More than 150 people have been killed so far,” Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.
Kharge lashed out, accusing the prime minister of divisive politics and failing to address critical issues plaguing the country. He pointed to incidents of violence in Manipur over the past three months, calling out the government’s inability to control the situation. The Congress leader further raised concerns over communal tensions in Haryana, blaming the ruling party for fomenting discord among communities.
Kharge didn’t hold back, criticising the PM for allegedly overseeing a period of economic inequality, unemployment, and insecurity for women. He called for an end to these issues, expressing disappointment with the government’s handling of problems and accusing PM Modi of focusing on self-aggrandizing inauguration events.
He also took a swipe at the prime minister’s political predecessors, drawing attention to their historical opposition to the Quit India Movement and the tricolour. Nevertheless, Kharge’s confident assertion that the opposition’s actions have now brought the historic movement back into public consciousness was a statement of victory.
(With PTI inputs)
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Updated: 07 Aug 2023, 07:05 AM IST