PM Modi targets Congress over Mallikarjun Kharge’s sops remark

On Friday, Modi led the BJP in criticising Kharge and demanding an apology from the Congress for “hoodwinking” people in the name of guarantees

A comment by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on pre-poll sops sparked a controversy on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a fierce attack and saying the opposition party was “badly exposed” for making “unreal” promises and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding an apology ahead of the Maharashtra elections.

On Thursday, Kharge had underscored the importance of fiscal responsibility, stating that if the government failed to deliver on its commitments, it could result in a bad reputation and hardships for the community. (PTI)

Modi’s comments came a day after Kharge advised Congress units to announce poll sops based on fiscal viability, warning that an unplanned approach could lead to financial difficulties and negatively impact future generations. His comments had come in the context of reports that Karnataka could review its free bus travel scheme for women.

On Friday, Modi led the BJP in criticising Kharge and demanding an apology from the Congress for “hoodwinking” people in the name of guarantees.

“The Congress party is realising the hard way that making unreal promises is easy but implementing them properly is tough or impossible. Campaign after campaign they promise things to the people, which they also know they will never be able to deliver. Now, they stand badly exposed in front of the people!” he posted on X.

He said the development trajectory and fiscal health of Congress-ruled states such as Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana were worsening. “Their so-called guarantees lie unfulfilled, which is a terrible deceit upon the people of these states. The victims of such politics are the poor, youngsters, farmers and women, who are not only denied the benefits of these promises but also see their existing schemes diluted,” he added.

Kharge hit back, accusing the BJP of making false promises and saying “Modi ki guarantee (Modi’s guarantee) is a cruel joke” on 1.4 billion Indians.

“Lies, Deceit, Fakery, Loot & Publicity are the 5 adjectives which best describe your Govt!...The ‘B’ in BJP stands for Betrayal, while the ‘J’ stands for JUMLA,” he said in a post on X.

The row came against the backdrop of a fractious debate on pre-poll announcement or sops being offered by all parties. Modi has spoken out against what he calls “revdi” culture (reference to a sweet distributed at gatherings) even as the BJP and Congress have regularly announced sops before every state polls. While the Congress announced 200 units of free power to all households, free travel for women in public transport buses in Karnataka and monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500 for women, ₹15,000 per acre for farmers every year in Telangana on its way to victories, the BJP’s wins in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana were also powered by key welfare promises.

Even in Maharashtra, which goes to the polls on November 20, one prong of the campaign is based on welfare and sops, with the BJP underlining schemes such as Ladki Bahin that gives ₹1,500 per month to poor women, and the Opposition announcing similar guarantees.

On Thursday, Kharge had underscored the importance of fiscal responsibility, stating that if the government failed to deliver on its commitments, it could result in a bad reputation and hardships for the community.

“In Maharashtra, I’ve said that they shouldn’t announce 5, 6, 10 or 20 guarantees. They should announce guarantees based on budget. Otherwise, there’ll be bankruptcy. If there’s no money for roads, everyone will turn against you. If this government fails, the future generation will be left with nothing but a bad name. They’ll have to live in exile for 10 years,” he had said.

Kharge’s statement came after reports that the Congress government in Karnataka could review the Shakti scheme which ensured free bus transport for women and was one of the party’s game-changing pre-poll announcements during the assembly elections in 2023.

“You promised five guarantees in Karnataka. Inspired by you, we made a promise of five guarantees in Maharashtra. Today, you mentioned that you would cancel one of those guarantees. It seems like you don’t all read the newspapers, but I do, so I’m telling you this,” the Congress president said, ahead of the party’s campaign announcements and guarantees for Maharashtra expected next week.

Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy later said that there will be no review or stoppage of the scheme.

But on Friday, Modi used the statements to attack the Congress. “The people of the country will have to be vigilant against the Congress sponsored culture of fake promises! We saw recently how the people of Haryana rejected their lies and preferred a government that is stable, progress oriented and action driven. There is a growing realisation across India that a vote for Congress is a vote for non-governance, poor economics and unparalleled loot,” he said, referring to the BJP’s unexpected victory in the recently concluded Haryana elections.

The PM also levelled specific allegations against the three Congress-ruled states. “In Karnataka, Congress is busier in intra-party politics and loot instead of even bothering to deliver on development. Not only that, they are also going to rollback existing schemes. In Himachal Pradesh, salaries of government workers are not paid on time. In Telangana, farmers are waiting for the waiver they promised. Previously, in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan they promised certain allowances which were never implemented for five years. There are numerous such examples of how the Congress works,” he said on X.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah rebutted Modi and said the state’s previous BJP government had left Karnataka “plagued with 40% commission corruption” and heavily in debt. “We are fulfilling every promise we made to our people—all five guarantees are being implemented with a budget of over ₹52,000 crore,” he said.

Countering Modi, Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said: “The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is steadfastly dedicated to fulfilling our promises and fostering inclusive development across the state. We are proud to have already delivered on five out of the ten guarantees made during the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections.”

The Telangana Congress unit also rejected the PM’s charges. “The previous government left a huge debt burden on our shoulders. Despite that, we have implemented guarantees like crop loan waiver of up to ₹2 lakh, free domestic power supply up to 200 units, bonus of ₹500 on the MSP of food grains and free travel for women in state-run RTC buses. We are going to implement all the other promises. There is no need for Modi to worry about,” state Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud said.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also said the guarantees announced by the opposition alliance in Maharashtra were an attempt to “deceive” the people in the state. “The BJP would like to convey to the voters of Maharashtra and Jharkhand very respectfully that whenever the Congress makes reckless announcements, ask them how they will fulfil them after the party president’s advice,” the BJP leader said.

Himachal Pradesh is undergoing a fiscal crisis attributed to heavy borrowings, rising salary and pension budgets and inadequate revenue generation. To be sure, the Congress government has blamed the previous BJP administration for the profligacy.