Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is apprehensive of ‘invisible voters’ who favor the Congress party. Kharge posed the question at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, if the Congress was irrelevant, why was Modi preoccupied with the venerable organization. Kharge asserted that he had campaigned in numerous states and witnessed a favorable response from voters. “I believe the undercurrent, which is invisible, but Modiji is apprehensive of these invisible voters, and that explains his incessant criticism of the Congress,” Kharge stated. He also charged the Prime Minister with behaving like a “petty politician” and urged him to broaden his understanding of Indian history and foster national unity. Meanwhile, campaigning for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26 has reached a fever pitch, with opposition leaders from the INDIA bloc denouncing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Prime Minister’s “mangalsutra” remark and the BJP’s Surat MP winning unopposed, while Congress leaders have reiterated their commitment to conducting a caste census. During a Lok Sabha elections 2024 rally in Chitradurga, Karnataka, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra pledged that if her party wins the general election, it will conduct a caste survey and designate the Kadugolla community in Karnataka as Scheduled Tribes (ST). She stated that Congress will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50% cap on reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs. “For Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and OBCs, as my brother (Rahul Gandhi) has consistently stated, a thorough enumeration will be conducted nationwide to determine who belongs to which caste, their population, income levels, and subsequent policy formulation. The reservation limit will be raised above 50%, and the SC, ST sub-plan will be implemented. A dedicated budget will be allocated for SCs, STs, and the Kadugolla community will be granted ST status,” she stated. Priyanka Gandhi also criticized the Prime Minister’s “mangalsutra” comments, stating that he lacks empathy for women’s struggles and that her mother, Sonia Gandhi’s mangalsutra, was sacrificed for the country. “Over the last two days, they have been spreading rumors that the Congress party intends to seize your mangalsutra and gold. India gained independence 70 years ago. The Congress has held power for approximately 55 years. Has anyone ever taken your gold or mangalsutra? When the country was at war, Indira Gandhi donated her gold to the nation. My mother’s (Sonia Gandhi) mangalsutra was given up for this country,” Gandhi said during a public meeting in Bengaluru. The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections 2024 in India will take place from April 19 to June 1, with the goal of electing 543 members to the 18th Lok Sabha. The first phase of the elections has concluded, and the second phase of polling will take place on Friday.
Congress President Accuses Modi of Fearing ‘Invisible Voters’
