First let’s win polls: Kharge on PM choice

BENGALURU: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is already charting programmes for next five years calling all secretaries, and “this kind of overconfidence and arrogance is not good for the country and democracy.”

He said, who will be the INDIA bloc’s Prime Ministerial face is a matter to be settled only after the results. “First we need to win the elections.”

In an interview, the Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka said after Congress won Assembly elections in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh things are looking “positive and good.”

“Our guarantee schemes have proved that people want programmes and schemes that have benefits like reduction in prices. These have caught the eye of the voter,” he said.

Reacting to Modi’s claims about NDA winning over 400 seats in the LS polls, Kharge said, “Luckily, he has not said ‘ab ki baar 600 par’. This egoistic propaganda, undermining the opposition and portraying that everything is me is unfortunate.”

“Even leaders who have the confidence about coming to power will not speak like this. He is already charting programmes for the next five years calling all secretaries. This kind of overconfidence and arrogance is not good for the country and democracy,” he said.

Noting that in 2004, there was a similar situation when BJP portrayed that India was shining, the AICC chief said, “You should not undermine Indian democracy. The Indian voter is very clever. He (Modi) is trying to suppress everyone. If a level playing field is given, you will see the repeat of 2004 results.”