'We have to give surprises...': Kharge as Congress maintains suspense over Rae Bareli, Amethi candidates
Lok Sabha elections 2024: As Congress continues to maintain suspense over its candidates for Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli and Amethi seats, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said sometimes it's good to give surprises in politics. In an interview with news agency PTI, Kharge said, "It is not good in politics if I open all the cards. Sometimes, in politics, we have to give surprises and form strategies.
Our party is the most democratic party." Amethi was Congress' strong hold till 2019. Rahul Gandhi had won the seat thrice till 2014, but in 2019 Smriti Irani won with 49.71 per cent votes. Gandhi had managed to bag 43.86 per cent votes.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has announced Smriti Irani's candidacy for re-election in Amethi. The Congress chief also slammed PM Modi over his 'ab ki baar 400 paar' slogan, saying that portraying everything is “me" is unfortunate. "This egoistic propaganda, undermining the opposition and portraying that everything is me, is unfortunate," Kharge told PTI.
Referring to the lack of transparency of the electoral bond scheme, Kharge said it is okay if the BJP gets more from donors, but transparency about it is necessary. "If he (PM Modi) was fair, he should have allowed everyone a fair level-playing ground. A donor may give ₹10,000 to you and ₹1 lakh to PM Modi, but there should be transparency," Kharge said.
Kharge also said the Congress is doing its best for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "Winning (Assembly) elections in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal (Pradesh) have given a boost to the Congress. People accepted the guarantees we have given, which means people want programmes, benefits, welfare schemes and not other things," Kharge told PTI.
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