Modi spoke of 'divisive issues' 421 times during campaigning: Kharge
What's the story
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday of raising "divisive issues more than 400 times" during the ongoing Lok Sabha election campaign.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Kharge said, "PM Modi spoke about 'mandir-masjid' (temple-mosque) and other divisive issues, more than 421 times during poll campaigning. He did this despite the Election Commission's direction of not appealing for votes on caste and religion."
Criticism
Modi mentioned himself 758 times
Kharge was speaking on the last day of campaigning for the seventh and final phase of the national polls.
In the seventh phase, voting will be held on Saturday for 57 parliamentary constituencies.
The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections is scheduled for June 4.
Kharge, meanwhile, also claimed that in the last 15 days of the campaign, PM Modi took his own name "758 times" and mentioned the Congress "232 times."
Statement
Voters have endorsed INDIA's view: Kharge
"He did not talk about unemployment even once," Kharge added.
The Congress leader also said that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance will get a clear majority.
"We are confident that people will give a mandate for an alternative government on June 4...Voters have endorsed the INDIA bloc's view that if the incumbent government is re-elected it will be the end of democracy," he added.
Opposition bloc
Kharge on INDIA's PM face
Asked who would be the prime minister if the INDIA bloc did win the elections, the Congress president said, "We can't project anyone as the PM because we have an alliance."
"We will call everyone, take their opinion and whatever the leaders of the alliance say, the PM will be decided on that basis," he added.
Hits out
Kharge rebukes PM Modi's statement on Mahatma Gandhi
Kharge also took a dig at PM Modi over his comments that no one knew of Mahatma Gandhi globally before a film on the father of the nation was made, Kharge said, "After June 4, Modi and other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders will get a lot of free time to read about Gandhi."
"If the PM doesn't know about the work of Mahatma Gandhi, then it is possible that he doesn't know about the Constitution too," he added.