The Congress said today that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "stooped to really low levels" while campaigning for the May 12 Karnataka assembly election and accused him of politicising the Indian Army for electoral gains by dragging it into the poll campaign.
Congress's senior spokesperson Anand Sharma claimed Modi had falsely charged the party with using a derogatory word against the Army Chief, and demanded his apology.
Sharma said such acts displayed his desperation of an impending defeat of the BJP in Karnataka.
He also accused Modi of not letting Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, a Dalit, become the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stooped to new low levels. He is trying to compete with himself how to lower the dignity of the political debate and dialogue and he is brazen about it," Sharma told reporters.
"We make a direct accusation that Modi is the first prime minister who has repeatedly dragged the Indian Army, soldiers and the Generals in poll campaign for electoral gains to emotionally exploit people...We would urge the prime minister not to bring Indian Army into poll campaign," he said.
Sharma alleged that the BJP leadership is "levelling false accusations" and advised the prime minister that he should realise that he was no more an opposition leader but the prime minister of the country and "he should behave and conduct himself like one".
He alleged the prime minister was doing so "deliberately and not unconsciously". His distortion and misrepresentation of history and historical facts have invited global ridicule. "A prime minister who makes untruthful statements does disservice to his own country."
"He is the first prime minister who is openly seeking votes by creating suspicion, tension and division among communities, groups and religions. This is the grand design of the BJP-RSS and it is clear from their statements and the happenings in some parts of the country," he said.
The former union minister alleged that the trust that Modi had gained in 2014 "evaporated" and this was reflected in the desperation and the tactics employed by him.
"Modi should behave like a PM. He should conduct himself like a PM," he said.
"Modi and (BJP president) Amit Shah should seek penance for the sin of betraying the people, for destroying the economy, for destroying the jobs and for weakening the social unity and the composite culture of this country," he said.
"Irrespective of what tactics they adopt, the countdown will start. Wait for 2019. I can say this with responsibility that this government is now in the departure lounge," he said.
"What moral right does Modi have, when he himself hobnobs with the corrupt?" he asked, making a reference to the "corrupt" BJP leaders in the state.
On rows over a portrait of Pakistan founder M A Jinnah at the Aligarh Muslim University and Tipu Sultan's anniversary observance, he said they were trying to inflame veterans to bring about division for polarisation just for electoral benefits and were promoting "disharmony, tension and violence" in the society.
"These are non-issues which our desperate prime minister and his party are bringing up...They believe in three things invent, manufacture, defame and after that inflame passions and create division and violence. This is their philosophy; it is integral to their DNA. Lies are integral to their DNA. What more do you expect from them?" he alleged.
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