Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday claimed there is an invisible undercurrent in favour of the opposition INDIA bloc in the coming Lok Sabha polls, fearing which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is campaigning extensively.

He challenged Modi to take an oath on the Rama statue in Ayodhya temple and say whether he gave the promised Rs 15 lakh to each individual from the black money he is supposed to have brought back to the country, doubled the income of farmers, provided two crore jobs and gave minimum support price to farmers.

“He chants god’s name and crushes poor people with price rise. If poor people are surviving, it’s because of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the five guarantees of the Congress government in Karnataka,” the former union minister said.

Kharge made the comments addressing a public gathering while campaigning for his son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani, who has filed his nomination from Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Kharge had won the Lok Sabha elections here in 2009 and 2014 but lost to BJP candidate Umesh Jadhav in 2019.

“There is an undercurrent. It’s not visible. Why is Modi touring so extensively these days? Because there is an undercurrent in favour of the INDIA bloc. That’s the reason he is going to narrow lanes and holding road shows,” Kharge said in his home district.

“Modi is threatening people with ED, Income Tax, CBI and vigilance," the 81-year-old alleged. "People in our party were corrupt but did they become clean soon after coming to your party (BJP)?” “That’s why I often say that Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have a massive washing machine in which not only clothes are put but also human beings. Once you put them there, they come out clean. Now that man has come to the BJP, he has become clean,” Kharge said.

“You had filed a case against them and how did they become clean after coming to your party? You (Modi) had said you will not spare corrupt people, but those people are now sitting next to you. You are ruling by taking those corrupt people along,” he alleged.

Kharge accused the BJP of indulging in destabilising opposition-ruled governments in some states. “You did it in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, MP. Everywhere you destroyed parties and formed your government. These are the democratic principles of Modi and Shah.” He also took a dig at ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’.

“He (Modi) comes and says this is Modi’s Guarantee. We gave five guarantees, which we have implemented (in Karnataka). Modi is copying our guarantees. He says ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ but where is his guarantee?” Kharge asked.

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