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Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao on Tuesday came out in support of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks on the "dip in Ganga" controversy.
Rao clarified that Kharge's statement emphasised the importance of serving the poor alongside spiritual devotion. He noted that while taking a dip in the Ganga is a matter of devotion, the BJP leadership is not focusing on poverty alleviation, instead trying to garner votes by exploiting sentiments. "What he meant was that when you bathe in the Ganga, it's a matter of devotion, but Modi and Amit Shah are not focusing on poverty. They want to get votes based on sentiments, while we want to work for the poor to earn votes. The BJP and Congress have different theories," Rao told ANI. Kharge had criticised BJP leaders for participating in the holy dip during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, saying that such actions do not address the issue of poverty. "Kharge ji's thought is that one should work for the welfare of the poor along with devotion to God. There is nothing wrong what he said. My name is Hanumantha Rao, and I am a devotee of Ram; does that mean I won't work for the poor?" the Congress leader added. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday took a sharp dig at Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leaders who participated in the holy dip during the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Kharge said, "On one hand Prime Minister Narendra Modi salutes the Constitution and on the other, he does everything against it... Don't be fooled by Narendra Modi's false promises". "Does taking a dip in Ganga alleviate poverty?... When children are dying of hunger, these people spend thousands of rupees on taking dips in the Ganga and competing with each other... Such people cannot do any good for the country," the Congress President added. The controversy has sparked a war of words between the Congress and BJP, with Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal responding to Kharge's remarks by questioning whether any Congress prime minister had visited Mhow, the birthplace of BR Ambedkar, on his birth anniversary. Responding to the speech of Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told ANI, "He (Mallikarjun Kharge) said this in Mhow where BR Ambedkar was born. I want to ask him - did any of the Congress' PMs go to Mhow on the birth anniversary (of BR Ambedkar)? PM Narendra Modi is the only prime minister to attend that ceremony in 2016..." (ANI)
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