E-Paper
Kharge skips PM Modi's I-Day speech at Red Fort, explains he has eye problems
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge did not attend the Independence Day event at Red Fort on Tuesday. The party said he was not well.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was not present at the Independence Day event at Red Fort where PM Modi addressed the country on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day. The chair marked for Mallikarjun Kharge with his name written on it remained vacant, as PM Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort assailed Congress's corruption and dynasty politics. The Congress president, however, issued a video address in which, without naming PM Modi, Kharge said some people think India has been developing only in the past few years. "But that thought is wrong.
Kharge explained that he had some eye-related problems. “I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20 am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here. The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there to the security situation and lack of time,” Kharge said, as quoted by ANI.
"Some people make it look like the country developed in the past few years. But that is not true. When the British left the country, the situation was as such that not even a needle used to be made in the country. Then Pandit Nehru took major initiatives, set up steel plants, made dams, established institutions like IIT, IIM, AIIMS. Indira Gandhi-Lal Bahadur Shashtri bring in the green revolution, made India self-reliant," Kharge said in his recorded speech.
"When some people used to oppose technology in the country, Rajiv Gandhi brought the telecom revolution," Kharge said remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee's contribution too.
Kharge's absence at the Red Fort event started a fresh controversy as the party claimed he as not well, but he hoisted the National Flag at the Congress headquarters. Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said many BJP ministers were not present at the Red Fort event. "Kharge ji is busy with the Independence Day programme at the Congress office. Many ministers did not reach Red Fort. How does it matter? They all are participating in the Independence Day celebrations," Rajiv Shukla said.
'Parivaarjan' in PM Modi's Independence Day address, ‘On next 15th August…’
"I feel pained to say that today democracy, the constitution, and autonomous bodies are under attack. The voice of the opposition is being oppressed by CBI, ED, and Income Tax. Attempts are being made to weaken the Election Commission. Oppositions MPs are being silenced in Parliament," Kharge said. "Great people do not obliterate past history, they create their own. Those who are repeating name-change issue themselves changed the names of existing schemes," Kharge added.
"Earlier, they used to talk about ‘achhe din’ and now they are talking about Amritkal. Is it not to hide their failures," Kharge added.
