‘Will not mix religion and politics, aim is to unite India’: Kharge 

KALABURAGI: Congress as a political party is concentrating on uniting all the non-BJP and likeminded parties and in this present juncture it does not want to fall in the controversy of ‘Santana Hindu Dharma’, said AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday.

Kharge said that he didn’t want to comment on the statement of TN Minister Udayanidhi Stalin comparing Sanatana Hindu Dharma with dengue and malaria calling for the the elimination of Sanatana Hindu Dharma.

“I will not mix politics with religion, whenever religious agenda comes we will debate on that matter at that time,” Kharge said.

Our main aim is to unite the opposition parties and to fight with unity in the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections, it is our political agenda, he added.

He said that the constituents of I. N. D. I. A. have already held three meetings and another meeting will take place shortly in North India as the first meeting was held in his residence in New Delhi, second meeting was held at Bengaluru and 3rd meeting in Mumbai.

When asked about the seating sharing issue between the constituents of I. N. D. I. A. will get finalized, Kharge said that it will take a long time as the parties will have to decide first on how many places they have a strong presence in and then put a proposal before the core committee of I.N.D.I.A.

The AICC President further said that the extended meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will be held at Hyderabad on 16th and 17th September at Hyderabad.

I.N.D.I.A. and Bharat :To a question on BJP especially Prime Minister’s interest in renaming India as Bharat, Mallikarjun Kharge said that Congress Party has not made any difference between India and Bharat.

“We have raised slogans including Bharata Maataa ki Jia, our leader took up Pada Yatra in the name of Bharat Jodo,” he added.

It is the Prime Minister who has launched programmes in the name of India: Make in India, Startup India, and Digital India etc.

Now that 27 opposition parties have formed an alliance in the name of I.N.D.I.A, the PM is scared and is trying to create an illusion before the public, he added, “For Congress both India and Bharat are one and the same.

Tie-up between BJP and JD (S): The AICC President said that he has read in newspapers about possible tie-up between JD (S) and BJP and has seen the picture of Deve Gowda shaking hands with Narendra Modi.

It is not yet clear on the nature of understanding between both the parties.

JD (S) claims to be a secular party, now it has to clarify to the people on how can it consider a tie-up with BJP. The understanding between BJP and JD (S) will not make any impact on the prospect of Congress Party, he said.