NATIONAL/ ANANTNAG, 11 SEPTEMBER, 2024 (GPN): The LokSabha elections ended three months ago but the surprise results continue to dominate political narrative of the opposition’s campaign even today as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the INDIA bloc needed only two more seats to oust the NarendraModi government from power and put BJP leaders in jail.

During a public rally in Anantnag, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge mocking the NDA said, “Today there is a minority government, Earlier they (BJP) used to say ‘400 paar’, where is your 400 paar? You are on 240 (seats). If we had only 20 more seats, all these people would have been in jail and they deserve to be there.”

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who is in J&K to drum up support for the party exuded confidence that the Congress party and INDIA bloc’s good run in the Lok Sabha polls will follow in the upcoming J&K assembly elections as well.

The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) on Wednesday today took a ‘spontaneous’ emergency mindset’ dig at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over latter’s “20 more seats and they would’ve been in jail.”

Kharge’s remark did not go down well with the BJP as its spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla highlighted Congress’ “emergency”mindset when opposition leaders were thrown in jails.Addressing a poll rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag, the Congress chief said these people deserve to be in jail, without naming anyone in particular.

The INDIA bloc put up a surprising performance in the Lok Sabha elections, bringing down the BJP’s tally to 240 from over 300 in 2019.BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that the comments are a reminder of Congress’ “dictatorial” mentality and said that they were the ones who declared Emergency in the mid-70s.“This is an example of Congress’ ‘Emergency’ mindset.

He wants to put leaders in opposition in jail, Indira Gandhi put people in jail and Congress wants to continue that legacy. They do not say anything when the Trinamool
Congress behaves dictatorially in Bengal and yet calls other parties dictatorial,” the BJP leader said.

Poonawalla also said that Kharge earlier said that if
Congress wins in Kashmir, it would exert control over the entire India. “If we win Jammu and Kashmir elections, then
entire India will be under our control,” Kharge had said during an earlier visit to the state.Kharge at Anantnag said
that BJP ‘panicked’ when it heard that the National Conference (NC) and Congress are fighting the Kashmir polls together.“As Rahul Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah have united, the BJP is now nervous and scared,” Kharge said.
Jammu and Kashmir’s 90-seat Assembly will see voting in three phases – September 18, September 25 and November 5. The election results will be declared on November 8.