'20 More Seats And They Would Be In Jail': Kharge's Tirade Against BJP Draws 'Emergency' Reminder

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a frontal attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, suggesting that some leaders of the Centre’s ruling party would have been in jail if his alliance had received about 20 seats more in the Lok Sabha elections.

His remarks drew a quick and scathing reply. The BJP described them as an exhibit of what it called the “Emergency mindset”, a reference to the 21-month period from 1975 to 1977 under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when basic freedoms were suspended and her political opponents as well as critics were put in jail in what is seen as a tumultuous chapter in Indian democracy.

Kharge was referring to the performance of the Opposition alliance, or I.N.D.I.A., which won 234 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP, which had set an amibitious target of 400 seats, stopped at 240, 32 short of the majority mark and down by 63 in comparison with its 2019 tally. However, The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), of which BJP is the prime constituent, notched up 293 seats, paving the way for a historic third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Where did those talking about crossing 400 go? They got reduced to 240 seats. If we had got 20 more seats, all these people would have been in jail. These people deserve to be in jail,” Kharge said at a rally in Anantnag without naming anyone. Senior BJP leaders, including PM Modi, had harped on the slogan of “400 paar (beyond 400)” during campaigning.

In his address, Kharge also said that the BJP “panicked” when it heard that the National Conference (NC) and the Congress were fighting the Kashmir polls together. 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.

‘Dictatorial Mindset’: BJP On Kharge’s Remark

In its riposte, the BJP reminded Kharge that it was the Congress government that imposed the Emergency. “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,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.

“They do not say anything when the Trinamool Congress behaves dictatorially in West Bengal and yet calls other parties dictatorial,” he added, possibly referring to the criticism over the Congress ally Mamata Banerjee’s handling of protests in the eastern state against the rape-murder of a trainee doctor in a government hospital.

The Emergency period has emerged as a talking point in political circles this year as the country marks the 50th year of its imposition. In the first session of the Modi 3.0 government in June-end, the issue sparked uproar in Parliament. Even as Speaker Om Birla’s first speech in the 18th Lok Sabha condemned the “black chapter” in India’s history, PM Modi said that events during the Emergency were an example of what dictatorship looked like.