‘BJP is party of terrorists’: Kharge on ‘gang of urban Naxal’ barb

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday alleged that the BJP was a “party of terrorists”, as he hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent remarks that the grand old party was being run by a “gang of urban Naxals”.

He also accused those in the saffron party of “lynching and beating” people, and committing atrocities against SC/STs.

“He (Modi) has always been saying it, even now he is saying it... He calls intellectual and progressive people urban Naxal, he calls the Congress too (as urban Naxals), this is his habit,” Kharge said in response to a question on Modi’s comments.

Speaking to reporters at Kalaburgi in Karnataka, Kharge said, “His (Modi) own party is a party of terrorists, they are involving in lynching, beating up people....His party is a terrorist party, they support people indulging in such acts, then they blame others.”

“Modi has no right, wherever his party-led government is there, atrocities happen on Scheduled Caste people, especially on tribal people. Then he (Modi) says injustice is happening. Is the government ours (Congress)? It is your (BJP) government, you can control it. But Modi’s habit is to speak. He speaks less about country and people, more about the party,” he added.

Hitting back at Kharge, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “Kharge’s statement reflects the Congress’ mentality.”

Senior Karnataka BJP leader and MLC N Ravikumar said terrorism and Naxal activities had come down in the country by about 80-90 per cent, and challenged for a survey and debate on — who is pro-terrorist — comparing 10 years of the Modi government at the Centre with 10 years of Manmohan Singh’s rule. (With agency inputs)