Jamtara/Khijri (Jharkhand) [India], November 17 : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over their criticism of the ruling JMM-led alliance on "infiltration", saying that the central government is responsible for managing international borders and has to answer if people are coming into the country illegally.
He also hit out at BJP over its leaders questioning the contributions of Congress and said the party had given the country its Constitution and created institutions without which Narendra Modi would not have been holding the Prime Minister's post.
Addressing a rally at Jamtara, he said that the Congress established IITs, AIIMS, and engineering colleges in the country.
"BJP people say what did the Congress party do for the country? The Congress established IIT, AIIMS, and engineering colleges in the country and did a lot of development work. BJP people studied in these same schools and colleges and today they ask us what the Congress Party has done," Kharge said.
"The Congress Party gave the Constitution to the country. If we had not done all this, Narendra Modi would not have been sitting on the chair he has today."
Kharge also slammed PM Modi and Amit Shah over their remarks concerning "infiltrators" in Jharkhand and said they were raising "bogey of infiltration".
He said by claiming infiltration in Jharkhand, both PM Modi and Amit Shah have admitted that it's a weak government headed by them at the Centre.
He said BJP government at the Centre is responsible for securing the borders.
"The BJP does not talk of issues of common man. BJP is trying to make infiltration an issue in Jharkhand polls. They are creating a scare. I want to ask them, how much infiltration has taken place in the last 10 years. If these people have entered, whose responsibility was it to prevent this...the post of Prime Minister and Home Minister is not for speeches only but for doing work,"he said.
"If, as you claim, the infiltrators have infiltrated, what were you doing? Were you sleeping?" he asked.
The Congress president accused the Prime Minister of misusing the Constitution.
He alleged the freedom of speech is being crushed by BJP-led government using central probe agencies.
He also accused BJP leaders of arrogance, saying Rahul Gandhi's chopper could not fly at the requisite time due to lack of clearance from authorities.
Kharge said both he and Rahul, as the Leaders of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively, were entitled to rights and privileges of a Union Cabinet Minister.
Urging people to bring back JMM-led alliance, he took a dig at Champai Soren for defecting to the BJP.
He said Champai Soren used to accuse Modi of destroying the state and discriminating against it for ten years but was is singing paeans to the same Modi and the BJP.
He accused the RSS and the BJP of trying to divide the people in the country and slammed the slogan 'batenge toh katenge'. He countered it with the slogan "awaz do, hum ek hain".
The Congress leader alleged that Modi government had held back Rs 1,36,000 crore dues of Jharkhand and said the state government is constructing houses in every panchayat under its own scheme with its own funds.
Referring to the widening income gap, he said just five percent rich people possessed 62 percent wealth of the country, while 50 percent poor people owned just three percent of country's wealth.
The Congress president also announced the guarantees that will be fulfilled if INDIA bloc government is formed again in Jharkhand. He said women's monthly cash assistance will be increased from the current Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 and LPG gas cylinders will be provided to every poor family for Rs 450.
He said the government will provide employment to 10 lakh youth in five years. Free ration being given will be increased from 5 kg to 7 kg per month to the beneficiaries. Farmers will get Rs 3,200 per quintal MSP on paddy in place of Rs 2,400 they are getting at present.
Voting for the second phase of Jharkhand polls will be held on November 20.