JAMMU: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday that Rahul Gandhi would have become prime minister if some states had given the party 25 more seats. He was urging his party’s cadres to work hard to ensure victory in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections with the goal of restoring statehood and further marginalizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. Prime Minister Modi was chastised by Kharge for reducing Jammu and Kashmir to a Union Territory and for his perceived arrogance in the wake of the recently held parliamentary elections. “The INDIA coalition secured several seats from here, even though we may not have won seats from here in the legislative elections. Our leader Rahul Gandhi would have been prime minister if Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and other states had given us five seats apiece, for a total of 25 seats,” he said the party workers gathered here.
Kharge remarked, “This is why we must work hard,” exhorting the party cadres to put in a lot of effort on the ground. Winning is vital. It takes more than just words to win. It will not happen if we just talk about it without laying the necessary foundation.” The head of the Congress stressed the significance of victory in Jammu and Kashmir for the restoration of statehood and stated that party members bear a great deal of responsibility. “The election that is coming up is important because it affects your basic existence. Statehood will be reinstated if you prevail. The legislative council will reappear if you win. Elections for towns, panchayats, and districts will go place if you win,” he declared. Kharge stated that if the BJP wins this election, Modi’s conceited rule will end.
You bear responsibility for it. You are employed by us, according to Rahul ji. I mean something slightly different. For you, we are performing this. For you, Rahul, Sonia, and Priyanka are working on this. Are they intending to stay here? What I am trying to convey is that, as a nation, we are doing all in our power to preserve democracy and the Constitution,” he continued. Kharge emphasized that the fight to preserve Jammu and Kashmir’s democratic institutions is ongoing and that nobody is doing anyone any favors. “We are fighting to preserve the Constitution and democracy together. You have a lot of responsibility for this. Maybe you have broken Modi ji’s haughtiness. You will now further isolate Modi and the BJP by winning the polls in Jammu and Kashmir,” he stated.
Kharge chastised the prime minister for his assertions of growth and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir following the repeal of Article 370, saying that all he has done is boast conceitedly about his accomplishments. “His fate has shifted. Look about you—this is not a democratic setting. There is not a municipality, panchayat, assembly, or council. Who bears the blame for everything?” Kharge enquired.