Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inciting people and dividing society through his election speeches.

Kharge was addressing a press conference of the INDIA bloc, where NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and other leaders were present.

The opposition alliance held an election rally in the city on Friday.

“No prime minister before Modi has ever indulged in inciting people like he has been doing. He speaks about democracy repeatedly but doesn’t adhere to the tenets of democracy,” Kharge said.

Responding to a question on PM Modi’ statement that the Congress will bulldoze the Ram mandir in Ayodhya and also restore Article 370 if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, Kharge said, “We have never used a bulldozer on anyone. Modi has the habit of lying and inciting people about things which Congress will never do or the things that are impossible to be implemented.”

Asked about his party’s stand on Article 370, Kharge said , “I am not answerable to Modi. We will implement what we have promised in our manifesto.”

Attacking the PM further, he said, “Wherever he goes, he tries to create division, speaks of dividing society.”

PM Modi had described the Congress’ manifesto as Muslim League manifesto, but now he says it is a Maoist manifesto, Kharge added.

The Congress chief assured that reservation as enshrined in the Constitution will continue and nobody can touch it.

Speaking on the occasion, Thackeray said, “‘Achche din’ are coming from June 4 (when Lok Sabha poll results will be declared) when INDIA bloc-led government takes charge.”

“PM Modi calls us ‘nakli’ (fake) Shiv Sena, tomorrow he may call RSS as ‘nakli Sangh’,” the former chief minister said.

The BJP is floating ‘Pakistan flags in our rally’ narrative to divert people’s attention from issues like jobs, he alleged.

Pawar said that after coming to power, the INDIA bloc government’s duty will be to protect all religious places in the country.

Kharge noted that if elected, the opposition alliance's government will implement a simple, single rate GST, replacing the present GST.

“We introduced Food Security Act, but PM Modi is taking credit for free ration supply,” he alleged.

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