Modi won’t return if LS polls are free and fair, says Congress chief Kharge

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not return to power if the elections were held in a free and fair manner, said All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge.

In an exclusive interview to Thanthi TV, Kharge said Modi would definitely not return to power if a level-playing field exists. Responding to a specific question on the BJP’s claim to win 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, Kharge said, "Modi might have prepared the EVMs. That is why he is confident. In democracy, people are our gods. People, the voters decide our fate. Modi seems to have some other plan. Otherwise, he could not have made such statements.

"If a level-playing field exists, Modi is definitely not returning to power this time,” he said.

Slamming the Modi regime for threatening opposition parties and the people using ED, CBI, and Income Tax, he noted how opposition leaders were accused of being corrupt till they moved to the BJP. After that, some were even made Ministers. This, he said, showed double standards. “Let Modi do what he wants to. We are trying our best. We will reach the people. We have given our guarantees."

Asked to draw a comparison of the Congress and BJP manifestos, Kharge said, "We offered guarantees in Himachal, Karnataka and Telangana and fulfilled the promises. We also delivered a lot during the UPA tenure even without making promises. Modi has never fulfilled his guarantees. Modi promised two crore jobs per year, Rs 15 lakh per family from retrieved black money and double farmers' income. Did he deliver it? When UPA left, the country's debt was Rs 55 lakh crore. Now it is Rs 150 lakh crore. So, who did it better on economy? Modi did not do anything. This is enough to judge him."

On various surveys predicting a big win for the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu, he attributed the success to the camaraderie between the DMK and Congress. "Since the beginning, DMK and Congress are working like brothers and as one family. When we act unitedly as one family unit, definitely the result will be good."