New Delhi [India], September 30 : Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday came out in defence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge over his comments on Narendra Modi in a rally in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that his "party does not hate PM Modi but loves the country."
This came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday, saying that the Congress leader had outperformed himself, the party leaders,, and the party in being "distasteful and disgraceful" during his speech on the last day of campaigning for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.
Shah's remarks came against the backdrop of Kharge's speech, where he said that he would stay alive until Prime Minister Narendra Modi was removed from power after he felt unwell while addressing a rally in the Jasrota area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Sunday.
"Yesterday, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji has outperformed himself, his leaders, and his party in being absolutely distasteful and disgraceful in his speech. In a bitter display of spite, he unnecessarily dragged PM Modi into his personal health matters by saying that he would die only after removing PM Modi from power. "It just shows how much hate and fear these Congress people have of PM Modi that they are thinking of him constantly. As for the health of Mr. Kharge Ji, Modi Ji prays; I pray and we all pray that he lives a long, healthy life. May he continue to live for many years and may he live to see the creation of a Viksit Bharat by 2047," Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a post on X.
Following Amit Shah's remark on Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Pawan Khera stated that Congress wanted the nation to be free from Narendra Modi as '67% of the country did not vote in favour of him.'
Speaking to ANI Khera said, "When will BJP understand that Congress does not hate PM Modi but loves the country. That's why we want the nation to be free from PM Modi and his ideology. Around 67% of the country also wants the same who did not vote in favour of him..."
Earlier on Sunday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge felt unwell while addressing a rally in the Jasrota area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. Congress leader Thakur Balbir Singh said that the Congress President felt suffocated due to the extreme heat.
After resting for a while, Kharge resumed his speech, reassuring the crowd that his health was fine and saying that he was not going to die so early.