"For Every Congress Candidate, BJP Has Four": M Kharge On Agencies' Misuse

Targeting the BJP over the alleged misuse of central agencies and the raids and charges against opposition leaders, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has said that every candidate from his party has to defeat four candidates - the BJP candidate and three others, the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and the Income Tax department.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Friday, the Congress president also said he is confident that the party will emerge victorious in four of the five states - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana - where elections will be held this month, with Mizoram being the only state they are unsure of, because it has "different parties, different groups".

Central Agencies

To a question on the raids on Congress leaders and the charge levelled against Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday that promoters of the under-investigation Mahadev betting app have given him Rs 508 crore for election expenses, Mr Kharge said the misuse of central agencies is very bad for democracy.

"You fight the straight way. Give a level playing ground. Whoever gets the majority should rule the country properly... You (the BJP) got the chance to rule at the Centre, but why are you harassing the people who are facing elections. You could have done this two years back, six months back, but the fact that you are doing this now means you are purposely harassing them and are not giving a level playing ground," he said.

Appealing to the Election Commission to take note of this, Mr Kharge said, "They should give a chance to the opposition also. We are fighting. We'll fight. If the Congress has only one candidate, they have got four - their own BJP candidate, then again, the ED is one candidate, then the CBI is one candidate and the income tax is another candidate. So the candidate of the Congress party has to defeat four candidates, not one. They are trying to terrorise and demoralise our workers."

The Congress President emphasised, however, that the party's workers are not going to be afraid. "If we wanted to be afraid, we wouldn't have entered politics. It's better to fight and die than be scared and die," he said in Hindi. 

Prospects In States

Asked about how he thought the Congress will perform in the upcoming elections in five states, including Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, where the party is in power, Mr Kharge said, "To tell you frankly, we are comfortable in four states. The fifth state is Mizoram. There is a fight and there are different parties, different groups. But in the other four states, I am hoping for a good result. Everybody (the people and Congress workers) is also happy and they say that we are going to win the election."

He said that in all the public meetings he has held in the states, people have told him that they are very happy and the public response has been good. He attributed the enthusiasm also to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's help and Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. "People are looking at his leadership for the future," he said.

Caste Census Demand

On Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying on Friday that the BJP never opposed a caste census, he said that the Congress has been making the demand "since the beginning" and that conducting it would give a clear picture about the development of every community. He said it will help prepare a plan for their development, employment and skill deployment.

"We are doing it for that and not for politics. They (the BJP) have appreciated our demand. It is a good thing," he said.

INDIA's Future?

Asked about Nitish Kumar's statement on Thursday that the Congress is more focused on the state elections than the progress of the INDIA alliance, Mr Kharge said he spoke to the Bihar Chief Minister on Friday. 

Mr Kharge said the chief minister has realised that the Congress is busy and the alliance talks can happen after the polls. He said he has been speaking to other INDIA allies, including Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M) and that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin of the DMK also knows what is going on.

"Our ultimate aim is 2024. They (the allies) are all good people, they understand well. They are all preparing a plan to defeat the BJP. We will take everybody into confidence, there is no question of ignoring anybody," the Congress president said. 

PM Candidate

The Congress president made it clear that the Congress is against projecting any individual as a prime ministerial candidate from the INDIA alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"Now we are fighting as INDIA. First we'll get sufficient MPs with our alliance partners. Then a decision will be taken according to the numbers. First we'll try to defeat BJP, then we'll sit together and discuss. Projecting a prime ministerial candidate will not help, and may break our unity," he said. 

Equation With Gandhis

Mr Kharge said he is lucky to have the guidance of Sonia Gandhi, who has been the Congress president for 25 years. "Rahul Gandhi is fully cooperating and supports me. Sometimes, Priyanka Gandhi also gives me suggestions and advises me. Mrs Gandhi gives good advice. It is my duty to consult everybody. That's why I am successful," he said.

Asked whether there had been any differences of opinion in the year that he has been Congress president, he said, "Impossible. She is my leader and she guides for good. The same is true for Rahul Gandhi as well. We are working as a team and that is the main thing."

The Congress president also denied reports of infighting in the Karnataka state unit.