New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections was a mandate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a political and moral defeat for him.
Addressing a press conference here, he termed the results as victory of the people and of democracy.
The BJP-led NDA was ahead in over 290 seats, while the opposition INDIA bloc was leading in 232 parliamentary seats.
“This is the victory of the people and that of democracy. We had been saying that this was a fight between the people and Modi. We humbly accept the people’s mandate,” Kharge told reporters at the AICC headquarters flanked by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Kharge said the voters had not given a complete majority to any single party, particularly the BJP that sought votes on the basis of ‘one person, one face’.
“The voters have not given a clear mandate to any single party. This mandate is against Modi. This is his political and moral defeat. It is a big defeat for a person who sought votes in his own name. He has suffered a moral setback,” he said.
Kharge said Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra reached out to lakhs of people and supported the election campaign.
He said the Congress and INDIA bloc contested the elections in adverse circumstances and accused the BJP-led government of capturing constitutional institutions to create hurdles in the path of the opposition.
“Our bank accounts were seized and a campaign was launched against our leaders. Yet, the Congress carried out a positive election campaign raising issues such as inflation, unemployment, farmers’ and workers’ distress, misuse of Constitutional institutions,” Kharge said.
He said people connected with the Congress on these issues and clearly understood the campaign launched by the prime minister.
“People very well understood the lies spread by Modi about the Congress manifesto,” Kharge said.
He said the arrogance of the BJP led to the capture of constitutional institutions, which were used to target political opponents.
“Those who felt the pressure joined them, while those who resisted found their parties in disarray and leaders in jail,” he said.
“People were confident that if Modi was given another term, the next assault would be on the Constitution and democracy,” Kharge said, adding that the evidence of this will be seen in the upcoming Parliament session.
He thanked the INDIA bloc partners for standing together, campaigning jointly and helping each other.
“In the coming days, we have to fight to protect the rights of the people, to protect the Constitution and democracy, the progress of the country and to secure the borders. We have to ensure that Parliament runs smoothly and issues raised by the opposition get priority, they are discussed in parliament,” Kharge said.
