New Delhi:

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the creation of eight crore jobs in four jobs has silenced “those spreading fake narratives about unemployment”, the Congress has hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of weaving a “web of lies”.

“Mr Narendra Modi, In Mumbai yesterday, you were weaving a web of lies on giving out jobs. I would like to remind you what you said while announcing the National Recruitment Agency (NRA). In August 2020, you had said, ‘NRA would prove to be a boon for crores of youngsters. This general eligibility exam would remove the need for multiple exams and save time and resources. It will also boost transparency’,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, quoting the Prime Minister.

.@narendramodi जी,

कल आप मुंबई में नौकरियाँ देने पर झूठ का मायाजाल बुन रहे थे।

मैं आपको पुनः याद दिलाना चाहता हूँ कि आपने NRA – National Recruitment Agency की घोषणा करते हुए क्या कहा था।

अगस्त 2020 में आपने कहा था – “NRA करोड़ों युवाओं के लिए वरदान साबित होगी। सामान्य… pic.twitter.com/RZOQkMh1hh

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 14, 2024

He then asked three questions: “Why has NRA not conducted a single exam in four years? Why it has spent just Rs 58 crore of the Rs 1,517 crore fund allocated? NRA was set up for recruitment to government jobs. Has it been kept dysfunctional deliberately to snatch the reservation rights of youngsters from SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities,” the Congress chief asked in a post on X.

Referring to row surrounding question paper leak of multiple competitive exams, Mr Kharge said, “NTA (National Testing Agency) was used to manipulate exams and leak papers, and no exam was conducted by NRA. BJP-RSS have vowed to destroy the education system and finish the future of youngsters. We raised the issue of NRA earlier too, but the Modi government has taken a vow of silence.”

The Congress president’s offensive comes a day after the Prime Minister pointed to a Reserve Bank of India report that said India added nearly 4.7 crore jobs during 2023-24

At an event in Mumbai during which he launched infrastructure projects worth Rs 29,000 crore, the Prime Minister took a swipe at Opposition parties, who had played up the unemployment issue in their campaign for the recently held general election.

“This figure has silenced those spreading fake narrative on jobs. Those who spread fake narratives are enemies of investment, infrastructure development and enemies of the country’s growth. Their every policy is about betraying youth and stall employment. Now they are getting exposed as people are rejecting their lies,” the Prime Minister said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on July 12 said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “used PR” to keep the government away from basic issues but people were now demanding accountability after the June Lok Sabha poll results.

Mr. Kharge took a swipe at the Prime Minister, saying that while he is holding meetings under the shadow of cameras for the upcoming budget, he must pay attention to the basic economic issues of the country.

In a post in Hindi on X, the Congress president said, “Narendra Modi ji, Your government has ruined the lives of crores of people by pushing them into the pit of unemployment, inflation and inequality.” Listing the “failures” of the government, Kharge said that due to the unemployment rate of 9.2 per cent, the future of the youth is staring at naught.

“For people aged 20-24 years, the unemployment rate has risen to 40%, highlighting the serious crisis in the job market among the youth,” Mr. Kharge said.

The promise of doubling the income of farmers and MSP of cost plus 50 per cent has turned out to be false, he said.

Recently, on the MSP of 14 Kharif crops, the Modi government has again proved that it wants to use the MSP recommendation of the Swaminathan report only as an “election gimmick”, he claimed.

The Congress leader said, “3.84 lakh government jobs have been lost in the 7 PSUs in which the majority of government stake has been sold! This has also led to the loss of jobs for SC, ST, OBC, EWS reserved posts”.

He said 1.25 lakh people have lost government jobs in the 20 top PSUs in which the Modi government has sold a small stake since 2016.

Manufacturing as a percentage of GDP has fallen from 16.5 per cent during the UPA regime to 14.5 per cent during the Modi government, he pointed out.

“Private investment has also fallen drastically in the last 10 years. New private investment plans, which are an important part of GDP, fell to a 20-year low of only ₹44,300 crore between April and June. Last year, private investment of ₹7.9 lakh crore was made during this period,” he said.

Mr. Kharge also alleged that the havoc of inflation is at its peak.

The prices of flour, pulses, rice, milk, sugar, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and all essential food items are skyrocketing, he noted.

The result is that the household savings of families are at the lowest level in 50 years, he added.

Mr. Kharge said that economic inequality is the highest in 100 years, while wage growth in rural India is negative.

“Unemployment has increased significantly in rural areas and it has now increased from 6.3% in May to 9.3%. The average number of days of workers employed in MNREGA has decreased,” he said.

“Modi ji, It has been 10 years, you used your PR to keep the government away from the basic issues of the people, but after June 2024, this will not work anymore, the public is now demanding accountability,” Mr. Kharge said.

The arbitrary tampering with the country’s economy must now stop, he added.

In this photograph provided by the Indian Army, tanks pull back from the banks of Pangong Tso lake region, in Ladakh along the India-China border on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021.
| Photo Credit: AP

Citing news reports of a Chinese military base being built near Pangong Tso, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Narendra Modi government demanding that the country be taken into confidence on the border situation with China.

Mr. Kharge shared a news report which said that the Chinese military had built bunkers to store weapons and fuel, and hardened shelters for armoured vehicles in an area around Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. Mr. Kharge asked, “How can China build a military base near Pangong Tso on land which was under Indian occupation until May 2020?”

Mr. Kharge held the Narendra Modi government responsible for not maintaining the status quo ante at the LAC, with India losing possession of 26 patrolling points out of 65, including points in the Depsang Plains, Demchok and Gogra Hot Springs area

“The Indian National Congress once again reiterates its demand to take the nation into confidence on the border situation at the LAC. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our valiant soldiers,” Mr. Kharge said in a post on X. He also recounted PM Modi’s various statements on the prolonged standoff at LAC. He said this was the 5th year of giving clean chits to China. He cited, PM Modi’s interview in the run up to the elections on 10th April to foreign press where, as per Mr. Kharge, the PM failed to put forth India’s case strongly. On 13th April, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too, in an interview said, “China has not occupied any of our land,” exposing Modi Govt’s “meek policy” towards China.

Mr. Kharge underlined that on 4th July, Mr. Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart. During the meeting, he spoke about “respecting the LAC and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas…” But parallelly, Mr. Kharge said, “China continues to be belligerent, occupying our territory and constructing a military base at Sirijap, reportedly land that was under Indian control.”

New Delhi:

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge went head-to-head with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju Monday over the Prerna Sthal issue, which refers to moving statues of national icons, including Mahatma Gandhi and Dr BR Ambedkar, from the front to the rear of the Parliament complex.

Announced last month, the relocation triggered furious protests from an opposition that has frequently protested against the BJP government at the large bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

In a stormy opening session of the Rajya Sabha this morning, Mr Rijiju hit out at the opposition, asserting, “These statues were not placed in a secluded area, but at a proper designated area… Prerna Sthal… in which all statues of important leaders are placed.”

To this Mr Kharge launched a counterattack by saying, “He doesn’t know… he doesn’t know about the committee. This decision should have been first discussed with committee members.”

My statement on relocation of statues of major leaders in the Parliament House Complex —

1. The statues of many great leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, have been removed from their prominent places in the Parliament House Complex and relocated to a…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 16, 2024

“All action should have been taken later,” Mr Kharge said.

The Congress boss has been insistent, since the shift of the statues (approx. 50 of them) was announced, the government has failed to follow protocol. Last month he released a detailed statement on X, arguing the “arbitrary” action “violates the basic spirit of our democracy”.

“Each statue and its location across the Parliament House complex holds immense value and significance… All this has now been brought to a naught in arbitrary and unilateral manner.”

READ | Parliament Statues Row Rumbles On As Prerna Sthal Opens

“There is a dedicated committee for installing portraits and statues of national leaders and MPs in the Parliament complex… which includes MPs from both Houses. However, the committee has not been reconstituted since 2019,” Mr Kharge declared.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat said the shift was because “visitors were not able to view these statues conveniently”. “For this reason, all statues are being respectfully installed in a grand Prerna Sthal…”

The Prerna Sthal was inaugurated by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who called the spot “motivational and inspirational”. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, “People get inspiration from such great men… I think the Prerna Sthal will always inspire the coming generations.”

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New Delhi:

Two days after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he was pained when Leader of the Opposition and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge entered the well of the House to protest, the two leaders shared several light moments this morning.

As he rose to speak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, Mr Kharge said he won’t be able to stand for long due to knee pain. The Chairman promptly responded, “You may address (the House) while sitting.” When the 81-year-old Congress chief said that he will sit only if the Chairman permits him to, Mr Dhankhar said, “We have to ensure that you are comfortable while addressing the House. So if the physical disability or pain is of that extent that here and outside you are unable to stand, then you may take your own call.”

Mr Kharge added with a smile that a speech while seated is not as impassioned as one delivered standing. The Chairman agreed with a ‘jazba’ remark as both leaders smiled. Mr Dhankhar then added in a light vein, ‘I have helped you in this case’. To this, Mr Kharge replied, ‘Sometimes you help us, and we remember too’. This evoked a laugh from the Chairman.

There was more to come. As Mr Kharge thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to take part in the debate, some members from the treasury benches started laughing. Mr Kharge asked why they were laughing and added, “This is how they mislead me.” This evoked another round of laughter in the House. Former UPA spokesperson Sonia Gandhi was also seen smiling. The Congress president then added, “Mr Chairman also misleads me.”

Responding to this, Mr Dhankhar quipped, “We will delete this, that I do it too.” This time, it was Mr Kharge’s turn to laugh.

More banter was the follow. In his response to the President’s address, Mr Kharge said it was just focused on praising the government. At his point, the Congress president started referring to the speech by BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi. “Excuse me, I sometimes get confused between Dwivedi, Trivedi and Chaturvedi. I come from the South so I am not well-aware of this,” he said as the members banged the benches. Mr Dhankhar said with a smile, “We can have a half-an-hour discussion on this if you want.”

The light banter was in stark contrast from the mood in the House on Friday when Opposition members drew strong remarks from the Chairman for entering the Well. The Opposition MPs were demanding a debate on the irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for medical admissions in colleges across the country.

Mr Dhankhar had then said he was “pained” and “shocked” that the Leader of the Opposition had come to the Well.

In response, the Congress chief had said he was compelled to enter the Well because the Chairman “deliberately ignored me”. “It is his mistake… I went inside (the Well) to draw his attention… I was drawing his attention. He was only looking at the ruling party. As per the rules, he should look at me when I draw his attention. But instead, he deliberately ignored me to insult me. So what option was left? To draw attention, I would have to go inside or shout very loudly. I will definitely say that it is Chairman Sahab’s mistake.”

New Delhi:

Congress’s Mallikarjun Kharge has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman, requesting that the statues of national icons — Mahatma Gandhi, Shivaji, BR Ambedkar and others — be returned to their original spots. The statues have been relocated to Prerna Sthal, a dedicated area at the back of the Parliament Complex. The decision has been strongly criticised by Opposition parties, who are demanding a rollback.

Mr Kharge had posted his views on X on Sunday – when Prerna Sthal was inaugurated — pointing out that the dedicated committee for such purposes, which contains MPs from both Houses, has not been reconstituted since 2019.

Underscoring the point today, he said making the decision without any consultation is “arbitrary” and “unilateral”.

He posted his letter on X, in which he said the removal of the statues “arbitrarily, without any consultation, violates the basic spirit of our democracy”.

Sharing the text of my letters to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and Speaker of the Lok Sabha on the relocation of statues of major leaders in the Parliament House complex.

I am writing this letter in the context of relocation of statues of major leaders in the Parliament House… pic.twitter.com/yf26TUGoLs

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 19, 2024

The political row over the decision to shift the statues has been simmering for weeks. While there has been no response from the BJP, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has explained the decision in a statement.

“Due to their location at different places in the Parliament Complex, visitors were not able to view these statues conveniently. For this reason, all these statues are being respectfully installed in a grand Prerna Sthal in the Parliament House Complex itself,” the statement read.

Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who inaugurated Prerna Sthal on Sunday, said the spot is “motivational and inspirational and whoever spends time here will be inspired”.

“People get inspiration from such great men…I think that the Prerna Sthal will always inspire the coming generations,” said Om Birla, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday, a week ahead of the first session of the new Lok Sabha.

Mr Rijiju met Mr Kharge at the Congress chief’s 10, Rajaji Marg residence in what was said to be a courtesy call.

The minister later shared a picture of the meeting in a post on X.

I had a pleasant courtesy meeting with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress Party President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji. He shared with me about many valuable experiences of his life. Together, we all will work for the nation. pic.twitter.com/FLekmdzepi

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 16, 2024

“I had a pleasant courtesy meeting with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress party president Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji. He shared with me about many valuable experiences of his life. Together, we all will work for the nation,” he said in the post.

Assuming charge of the ministry last week, Mr Rijiju had said there was no need for the government or the opposition to pull each other down on the basis of numerical strength and asserted that he would reach out to everyone for smooth functioning of Parliament.

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on June 24 during which new members of the Lower House will take oath and the speaker elected.

President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27 and is likely to outline the new government’s roadmap for the next five years.

The session will conclude on July 3.

The first three days of the session will see the newly-elected MPs taking oath and electing the speaker of the Lower House.

Both Houses of Parliament are expected to reconvene in the third week of July for the presentation of the Union Budget. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge posted his reservations about the relocation of statues of national icons as the area of relocation within the Parliament Complex, Prerna Sthal, was inaugurated today. Pointing out that the dedicated committee for such purposes, which contains MPs from both Houses, has not been reconstituted since 2019, Mr Kharge strongly criticised the decision to relocate the statues.

“Such decisions made without any proper discussion and deliberation with relevant stakeholders are against the rules and traditions of our Parliament,” read his post on X, formerly Twitter.

My statement on relocation of statues of major leaders in the Parliament House Complex —

1. The statues of many great leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, have been removed from their prominent places in the Parliament House Complex and relocated to a…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 16, 2024

A political row has been simmering for weeks over the decision to shift the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, BS Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji. The statues — moved first during the building of the new parliament — have been relocated to a new spot towards the back of the Parliament Complex, named Prerna Sthal.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat had explained the decision in a statement, which read, “Due to their location at different places in the Parliament Complex, visitors were not able to view these statues conveniently. For this reason, all these statues are being respectfully installed in a grand Prerna Sthal in the Parliament House Complex itself.”

As the decision was announced earlier this month, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, called it “atrocious”. Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were removed because Maharashtra did not vote for the BJP. CPI’s D Raja also condemned the move, calling it “arbitrary and unilateral”.

The situation was emotive for the Opposition, which had held many a protest at the feet of the 16-ft tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

After the inauguration of Prerna Sthal today, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said the spot is “motivational and inspirational and whoever spends time here will be inspired”.

“People get inspiration from such great men…I think that the Prerna Sthal will always inspire the coming generations,” said Om Birla, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

New Delhi:

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had a witty response ready when he was asked, yet again, who would be the Prime Ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc. “It’s like asking ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’,” Mr Kharge said, referring to the popular TV quiz show hosted by Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

“If we form the government, all the leaders will decide who will be their PM,” he said during a press conference in Shimla.

Mr Kharge also reminded that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance ran the government for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 without proposing a PM candidate before the elections.

“In 2004, Congress leaders wanted Sonia Gandhi to be the Prime Minister but she refused. We didn’t have the majority, we had 140 seats. We returned to power in 2009 with 209 seats. We formed the UPA alliance and ran the government for 10 years,” he said.

“Sometimes even wise people forget history,” the 81-year-old said, taking a jibe at the ruling BJP who had been targeting the INDIA bloc for failing to come up with a Prime Ministerial candidate.

Targeting the BJP, Mr Kharge said that the party lied to the country “when it talked about 2 crore jobs in 2014, when it talked about reducing inflation. Nothing happened”.

“The Prime Minister made big promises in 2014 and 2019 but did not look back after that. He did not help Himachal Pradesh when it was struck by a natural disaster. The BJP is working to topple governments in the country and has tried to destabilise the Congress government of Himachal,” he alleged.

On February 27, six former Congress MLAs – Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul and Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chetanya Sharma (Gagret) and Devinder Kumar Bhutto (Kutlehar) – had voted in favour of the BJP Rajya Sabha nominee Harsh Mahajan.

Two days later, they were disqualified for defying a party whip to be present in Vidhan Sabha and vote in favour of the government during the cut motions and budget. These MLAs later joined the BJP and were given the ticket from their respective assembly seats.

Polling for all four Himachal Pradesh Lok Sabha seats will be held on June 1. The results will be out on June 4, as in the rest of the country.

New Delhi:

A video circulating on social media claims that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that “the party is over” during a 2024 Lok Sabha election rally. In the video, Mr Kharge says in Hindi, “Congress is finished. Congress is dead. And now you can’t see Congress anywhere.”

The posts sharing this video claim that Mallikarjun Kharge admitted Congress has been disbanded and is no longer functioning. Archived versions of similar posts can be viewed here and here.

However, our investigation reveals that Mr Kharge’s video was edited and shared with a misleading narrative. The original video shows him quoting remarks by Congress critics in Ahmedabad.

What did we find?

A reverse image search of a screenshot from the viral clip led us to a YouTube video live-streamed on the official channel of the Indian National Congress (archived here) on May 2, 2024. In the video, Mr Kharge is speaking at an election rally in Ahmedabad.

At the 12:04 timestamp, he discusses Ahmedabad and says, “Ahmedabad is one such big and famous city. Mahatma Gandhi ji, Sardar Patel ji, Dadabhai Naroji, and many more great leaders were born here. They made Gujarat great. Gandhi ji and Sardar Patel, Bhulabhai Desai, Vithalbhai Patel, and the Speaker of our Lok Sabha, Mavalankar ji – all the leaders have built the country, and among them, three members became the presidents of our Congress party – Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi ji, UN Dhebar – all of them held the position of party president and strengthened it.”

He then says, “So, I want to say, the foundation of the Congress party in Ahmedabad city is very strong. No one can remove it, and no one can dare to say that we will finish the Congress. Few people say, ‘Congress is finished, Congress is dead, and Congress will not be seen anywhere for you‘ – the leaders here say this. I only want to ask them this: this Ahmedabad city is Mahatma Gandhi ji‘s holy place. But it is surprising that in this land, people with such ideology are born who are thinking about finishing Gandhi ji‘s ideology.”

The part of the speech highlighted in bold above has now been selectively edited and circulated with a misleading narrative, alleging that Mr Kharge said the ‘Congress party is finished’.

Logically Facts debunked several such election rally videos shared out of context. Our checks can be found here, here, and here.

The Verdict

The viral video falsely portrays Mallikarjun Kharge as saying that Congress is “over” during an election rally in Ahmedabad. In reality, he was quoting critics who claim the party is “finished.” As a result, the claim has been marked as misleading.