 "Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera")
A day after the BJP announced its second list of candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, the Congress on Tuesday said no matter who it fields, the people of the state have decided to oust those who had formed the government through the back door.
The opposition party said that with the announcement of the list, it seems results have been declared even before the polls.
The BJP on Monday released its second list of 39 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls. It fielded Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel and Phaggan Singh Kulaste and four other party MPs for the elections.
Besides the ministers, the MPs fielded are Rakesh Singh, Ganesh Singh, Riti Pathak and Uday Pratap Singh -- all from Lok Sabha.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks in rallies in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on Monday.
He said the Congress regards him as its "star campaigner" as was the case in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
More From This Section
"Wherever he went from Himachal to Karnataka, it benefited the Congress. Therefore, we regard him as the star campaigner.
"However, we don't like to use the term star campaigner as he lies a lot. If he starts speaking a little bit of truth, he can be the best star campaigner for the Congress and the INDIA bloc," Khera said.
The Congress leader accused Modi of constantly "lying" to people and alleged that he is "the only prime minister who has made himself a certified liar".
He said Modi attacked the Congress over women's reservation when it was the grand old party that had brought a bill to reserve seats for women in local bodies for the first time in 1989.
Khera said seven people had opposed the bill in Parliament at that time including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Ram Jethmalani and Jaswant Singh.
"You say the Congress does not care about the poor. It was MGNREGA that lifted 23 crore (people) out of poverty. You not only pushed them back into poverty, but added another 14 crore people," he said.
In Rajasthan, the prime minister slammed the Ashok Gehlot government but forgot that some time back he had given a certificate to the state government for its good work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is good, the more you (Modi) campaign, it saves us money as we have to campaign less," Khera said.
Asked about Jyotiraditya Scindia not being fielded till now, the Congress leader said, "They could have fielded him also, he would have also got to know what the situation is. But he is only delaying his defeat. If not now, he will be defeated in the Lok Sabha polls."
"No matter who they field, the people of Madhya Pradesh have made up their minds that those who have formed the government through the back door have to be shown the exit door," Khera said.
He also took a swipe at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, saying when even his name disappears from the speeches of BJP leaders, it means the party has conceded defeat.
"When you are bent upon proving that your own chief minister is useless, then why would the people elect him," Khera said.
On the list declared by the BJP, the Congress leader said, "Yesterday's list is their internal matter but since you are asking, I would say results have been declared even before the polls."
Elections are slated to take place in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram later this year.
