"He should not make such statements": Union Minister Athawale condemns Kharge's 'Dip in Ganga' statement

"We condemn his statement. He should not make such statements," Dr Ramdas Athawale said.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge drew criticism after he took a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who participated in the holy dip during the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

He questioned whether taking a dip in Ganga would "alleviate poverty," especially when "children are dying of hunger.". He also alleged that while on the one hand PM Modi salutes the constitution, on the other "he does everything against it."

Congress was holding a massive 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally at the birthplace of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar in Indore's Mhow on Monday in which prominent Congress leaders across the country participated. The Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was also in attendance.

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Praveen Khandelwal criticised Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his comments regarding Mahakumbh, stating that his statement would hurt the faith of crores of Hindus in the country.

"His statement will hurt the faith of crores of Hindus in the country. He said that all of this would not make us rid of poverty. Earlier, a footfall of 40 crore people was expected in the Maha Kumbh, due to which business worth about Rs 2 lakh crore was possible. Now the way the crowd of people is increasing, this figure will go above 50 crore people and it will generate around business worth about Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh crores," Khandelwal told ANI.

Further attacking Kharge, he said, "I think he does not know about the economy. This is a well-known fact that where there is faith, there is economy..." (ANI)