Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress says PM Modi's chair 'shaking' after three phases of elections

Congress nominates Devinder Singh Jaggi as its candidate for the by-election to Dharamshala constituency in Himachal Pradesh. 

Union Minister Smriti Irani said, " I challenge them (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi) to pick time and date and the issue to debate on with BJP. Dono bhai-behen ek taraf aur BJP ka ek pravakta ek taraf, doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani ho jaayega...Congress is running away from the issues."

Former Bihar Deputy CM & RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says, "Not a single leader of BJP talks on key issues...they need to say how many jobs did PM Modi provide? Rich becoming richer, poor becoming poor, why? Why is the economy of the country getting destroyed?..."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chair is "shaking" after three phases of elections, citing his recent attacks on his allies. Kharge claimed that PM Modi's actions indicate a "real trend" in the election results.

In a post on X, Kharge remarked in Hindi, "The times are changing. Friends are no longer friends! After completion of three phases of elections, today the prime minister has started attacking his own friends. It is becoming clear that Modiji's chair is shaking. This is the real trend of the results."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday slammed opposition while addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi, saying they they are more concerned about their electoral vote base.

"Despite invitations extended to several political figures such as Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and others for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Mandir, they did not attend due to concerns about their electoral support base," Shah said.

Weighing in on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charge at the Congress that it was planning to put a 'Babri lock' on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya if elected, Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal has questioned if it was, at all, feasible.

Invoking expelled Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam's big claim against Rahul Gandhi PM Modi had urged people to give the BJP-led NDA "400 seats so that the Congress cannot put the Babri lock on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya".

Speaking to ANI, the former Congress leader said, "Is it possible to put a Babri lock be put on the Ram Mandir? Ask the PM: is this is prediction? How is this possible? The Election Commission is vested with the powers to put a lock on such statements, but it doesn't do it."

"This statement should be deemed a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The EC has the power to put a lock on such star campaigners but doesn't have the guts to do so, as it is also a part of the 'parivaar' these days. They become a part of the family during elections. Who isn't? All so-called independent agencies are with the family these days."

Congress candidate from Patiala Lok Sabha constituency Dharamvira Gandhi filed his nomination papers on Wednesday.

He took part in a roadshow in Patiala before filing his papers. He was accompanied by Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and other party leaders.

Speaking to reporters in Patiala, Warring said Gandhi was getting an "overwhelming" response from the voters of the constituency, as they believed that the Congress nominee would raise their issues in Parliament.

Taking a dig at the BJP candidate and sitting Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, Warring added, "People know that the time of Maharajas and Maharanis is over. I do not think Maharani Sahiba (Preneet Kaur) ever raised any issue in Parliament." Kaur is the wife of Captain Amarinder Singh, a former Punjab Chief Minister and a member of Patiala's royal family.

Warring expressed confidence that Gandhi would win the seat by a huge margin.
Gandhi, a doctor by profession, won the Lok Sabha election as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate in 2014 by defeating Kaur — a Congress candidate back then — from Patiala.
He quit the AAP in 2016 and joined the Congress last month.

Apart from Kaur, Gandhi is pitted against AAP candidate Dr Balbir Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal's N K Sharma.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "ineligible" to enter the state as he has allegedly "cheated" it for the past 10 years.

Sharmila alleged that Modi is "shedding crocodile tears" for Andhra Pradesh because of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

"You are ineligible to enter the state. First seek the forgiveness of Andhra Pradesh people. For 10 years you have cheated the state and now you are shedding crocodile tears," she said, addressing a press conference in Kadapa.

Displaying a radio, the APCC chief said she is sending it as a gift to the PM to listen to the 'Mann ki Baat' of the Telugu people from the state.

Referring to the recent regular visits of the PM, Sharmila claimed that he is coming because of the polls but not for developing the state.

Challenging the Prime Minister to fulfil the promises made to Andhra Pradesh, she demanded that he give an affidavit that the promises will be kept, and also posed a string of questions.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra while addressing a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli said, "Today he (PM Narendra Modi) said - "Rahul ji is not taking Adani-Ambani names." But Rahul ji talks about Adani-Ambani every day, he puts the truth about them before the public. Every day we tell you that they (BJP) have a nexus with big industrialists."

Goa CM Pramod Sawant said, "I want to thank the people of Goa for the 75.5% voting took place in the third phase. Goa witnessed the highest voter turnout in the country. Despite the extreme heat, everyone came out to cast their votes. I thank everyone for this... I can say with certainty that the voting percentage will increase in the coming phases"

Addressing a public gathering in Warangal, Telangana, PM Modi said, "Ever since Congress came to power, development of Telangana has been stalled. Where is the hard-earned money of people going? They are looting you under the guise of 'RR Tax', half of which goes to 'R' in Hyderabad and the other half to 'R' in Delhi..."

On Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda's "People in East look like Chinese, in South, look like Africans..." remark, Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav says, "This is the beauty of this country. People of different communities, religions and different geographical conditions live here. I think that is the beauty of it. Together, we form India. This is the beauty of India...BJP ka kaam hai ulta lena."
 

Addressing a public gathering in Warangal, Telangana, PM Modi said, "I was thinking a lot that Droupadi Murmu who has a very good reputation and is the daughter of Adiwasi family, then why is Congress trying so hard to defeat her but today I got to know the reason. I got to know that there is an uncle in America who is the philosophical guide of 'Shehzada' and just like the third umpire in cricket this 'Shehzada' takes advice from the third umpire. This philosophical uncle said that those who have black skin are from Africa. This means that you are abusing several people of the country on the basis of their skin colour..."

Reacting to Sam Pitroda's remarks, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, "Analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies."

Actor-turned-politician and BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi Kangana Ranaut reacting to Pitroda's comments called it "racist" and "divisive". 

"Sam Pitroda is Rahul Gandhi's mentor. Listen to his racist and divisive jibes for Indians. Their whole (the Congress') ideology is about divide and rule. It's sickening to call fellow Indians Chinese and African. Shame on Congress!" Ranaut said.

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said that Pitroda's remarks were "shocking, despicable and disgusting".

"He is the mentor of Rahul Gandhi. It is the word, spirit, vocabulary and ideology of Rahul Gandhi... First, they divided on the basis of caste, religion and language. Now, they are dividing Indian vs. Indian. And to make a comment like Indians are like Chinese, isn't it a racist comment? Isn't it insulting and objectionable ? It shows 'Congress ki Mohabbat ki Dukan actually has 'nafrat' and 'racism ka saman'..," he said.

Senior BJP leaders, which included Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh slammed Pitroda's comments. 

Taking to X, Sarma wrote, " Sam bhai, I am from the northeast, and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country - we may look different, but we are all one."

"Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo! (Please understand at least something about our country)," he said.

Congress senior leader Sam Pitroda, who recently created a political row by stating that India should adopt inheritance tax from the United States, created another stir with his comments on the country's diversity. 

While speaking to The Statesman, Pitroda said, “We could hold together a country as diverse as India — where people on the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arabs, people on the North look like maybe Whites and people in South India look like Africans. It doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters." 

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In his address to a public meeting in Telangana's Karimnagar, PM Narendra Modi says, "'Shehzada' of Congress, since his issue of Rafale grounded, he started talking about '5 industrialists' all the time in the last five years...later he started saying 'Ambani-Adani', but after the elections were announced, he stopped abusing 'Ambani-Adani'. I want to ask him, 'Shehzada ye ghoshit karein ki Ambani-Adani se kitna maal uthaya hai'...What has been the deal that you stopped abusing 'Ambani-Adani' overnight..."

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