Cong: Jugglery of empty words, no accountability for old guarantees

Opposition party reacts on BJP’s Lok Sabha poll manifesto

NEW DELHI: The Congress trashed the BJP’s Lok Sabha poll manifesto on Sunday as a “jumla patra” full of rhetoric, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee is a “warranty of jumlas” as he has failed to fulfil his past promises.

The opposition party also accused Modi of not honouring his promises made on jobs, doubling farmers’ income and tackling inflation, and alleged that the prime minister is now shifting the goalposts by talking about 2047.

The Congress said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) manifesto should have been named “maafinama” and Modi should have apologised to farmers, youngsters, poor people, and Dalits for not fulfilling the promises made in the last 10 years.

Kharge accused Modi of not doing any major work during his tenure that would have benefitted the people of the country. Modi released the manifesto at the BJP headquarters here on Sunday. The document has a special focus on the poor, youngsters, farmers and women.

Kharge said youngsters are demanding jobs and the prices of food items have skyrocketed, but the BJP’s manifesto says nothing on these issues.

“No accountability for old guarantees, just a jugglery of empty words! ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ equals ‘warranty of jumlas (rhetoric)’,” he said in a post in Hindi on X and posed 14 questions for the prime minister.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “Two words are missing from the BJP’s manifesto and Narendra

Modi’s speech -- inflation and unemployment.”

“INDIA’s plan is very clear -- recruitment in 30 lakh posts and a permanent job of Rs 1 lakh to every educated youngsters. This time the youngsters are not going to fall into Modi’s trap. They will strengthen the hands of the Congress and bring an ‘employment revolution’ in the country,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said in the manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Modi had promised to bring back black money by forming a special task force, but electoral bonds were introduced instead.

The BJP had promised to strengthen law and order in the northeast, but violence is continuing in Manipur and Modi has been silent on it, he said.

Asked about the Ram temple issue, Khera said, “Ram is an issue of faith and not of politics. We will not allow the BJP to drag him into politics.”