Congress Lodges Complaint After BJP Accuses Manifesto of Having “Muslim League Imprint

The Congress released its 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto on Friday. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has led the fightback and accused the BJP of fearing the election results. The party has filed a complaint with the Election Commission in response to the Prime Minister’s comment that the Congress’ manifesto “completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League”. During an election rally in Uttar Pradesh, the Prime Minister criticized the Congress’ manifesto, calling it a “bundle of lies” and claiming it reflected the thoughts of the Muslim League before independence.

In response, the Congress’ Pawan Khera told reporters that the party has raised concerns about the Prime Minister’s comment and Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s election affidavits. Congress leaders, including Mr. Khera, met with the poll panel to address the issue. Mr. Kharge also criticized the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah for spreading falsehood, drawing a parallel between the BJP’s political ancestors and the Muslim League. The Congress also pointed out that Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of Jana Sangh and a BJP ideologue, was part of a coalition government with the Muslim League in Bengal in the 1940s.

The party emphasized that the BJP, not the Congress, practices the politics of divisiveness. The manifesto’s controversial section, guaranteeing an increase in reservation for marginalised groups beyond the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent cap, sparked the row. BJP President J.P. Nadda criticized the Congress, drawing parallels with the Muslim League’s stance on reservation based on religion in 1929.