In correspondence dated Thursday, the principal of the legislative assembly, Mallikarjun Kharge, penned a missive to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, petitioning an audience to elucidate the party’s ‘Nyay Patra’ in person. Across two pages, he conveyed his concern that the prime minister was being misled by his counselors, presenting misinformation not found within the Congress’ manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.
The ‘Nyay Patra’ of the Congress endeavors to deliver justice to the youthful, female, agrarian, toilers, and marginalized individuals of all sects and societies, he asserted. Addressing the prime minister, Kharge articulated, “It has become habitual for you to seize upon a select few words out of context, thereby fostering a schism along communal lines. Your rhetoric diminishes the dignity of your esteemed position.”
“You are being misled by your advisors regarding matters absent from our manifesto. I would welcome the opportunity to engage with you personally to expound upon our ‘Nyay Patra,’ ensuring that, as the premier of the nation, you refrain from disseminating falsehoods,” Kharge offered.
Furthermore, the principal of the Congress expressed neither astonishment nor surprise at the lexicon employed by the prime minister in recent orations. “Such discourse was anticipated following the lackluster showing of the BJP in the initial phase of the elections,” Kharge articulated within his epistle.
Emphasizing the Congress’ advocacy for the downtrodden and their entitlements (“nyay”), he remarked, “We recognize your government’s lack of regard for the impoverished and disenfranchised.”
“Your administration caters to the affluent elite, reducing their tax burdens while imposing heavier levies on the salaried class. The indigent bear the brunt of GST, even on essential commodities like sustenance and sodium, while affluent conglomerates claim rebates. Hence, when we address the chasm between the affluent and the destitute, you deliberately conflate it with religious dichotomies,” Kharge asserted.
“Our manifesto serves the populace of India, irrespective of their religious affiliations – whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, or Buddhist. I posit that your memory of the Muslim League, your pre-independence cohorts, and colonial overlords remains intact,” he accused.