The Congress on Saturday countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent attacks on dynastic politics, challenging him to declare that the BJP will not forge alliance with any party it considers “family-run”. Pawan Khera, Congress's media and publicity cell chief, said the prime minister should stop talking about families and dynasties in politics, alleging the BJP is brimming with people from political families.
“Let the prime minister come out before the next Lok Sabha elections and announce that the BJP will not have any alliance with any party which, according to him, is a family-run party,” Khera said at a press conference.
“Let him have the courage…show the confidence. He has 303 seats (in Lok Sabha) today. What stops him from announcing that, as a policy, the BJP will not have an alliance with a family-run party? Let him set an example,” he added.
At a government programme in Madhya Pradesh last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Congress and other "family-centric" parties are giving "false" guarantees to people. He said dynastic parties work only for the welfare of their families and those facing graft charges and out on bail are together with those who are sentenced for scams, in an apparent swipe at the opposition parties' efforts to form an anti-BJP bloc ahead of the 2024 general elections.
"Beware of false (poll) guarantees being given by family-centric parties including Congress. Such people have brought schemes of guarantees though they don't have their own (political) guarantee, " the prime minister said.
{{/usCountry}}"Beware of false (poll) guarantees being given by family-centric parties including Congress. Such people have brought schemes of guarantees though they don't have their own (political) guarantee, " the prime minister said.
{{/usCountry}}Days after Modi's speech, the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra inducted Ajit Pawar, nephew of Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar, into the cabinet as deputy chief minister.
Khera tweeted, “We openly challenge the Prime Minister to declare today that the BJP will not forge an alliance with any party which Modiji considers to be family-oriented.”
“Isn't Ajit Pawar someone's nephew? Why is BJP forging an alliance with them?”