Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge appears to have scored a self-goal in the ongoing Karnataka state election campaign. Kharge was speaking at a public meeting in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi where he called PM a ‘poisonous snake’.
“PM Modi is like a ‘poisonous snake’, you might think it’s poison or not. If you lick it, you’re dead”, Kharge says in Kannada in the video. Congress leaders have repeatedly made such unsavoury comments against the PM that have only cost them dearly in elections. Sonia Gandhi’s ‘maut ka saudagar’ jibe in 2007 cost the Congress the Gujarat assembly election but Congress leaders have not learned any lesson.
Kharge is among those Congress leaders who have a history of vitriolic, denigratory and dehumanizing abuse directed at Narendra Modi. Here is a list of some of the vilest abuses hurled at him by Congress leaders:
1) Maut Ka Saudagar (merchant of death): Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi called Modi a Maut Ka Saudagar in her 2007 Gujarat election campaign speech.
2) Snake, Scorpion, dirty man: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manishankar Aiyar in March 2013, said that Modi is a snake, scorpion, a dirty man.
3) Gandi Nali ka kida: Gujarat Congress’s then prabhari BK Hariprasad described Modi as ‘Gandi Nali ka kida’.
4) Ghanchi: Congress MP from Surendranagar Soma Ganda Patel made this casteist remark on Modi during an election rally in November 2012. Modi is Ganchi by caste which is part of the Other Backward Class (OBC).
5) Monkey, a victim of rabies: Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia compared Narendra Modi with a monkey in his election rally speech in October 2012. Modhwadia also said that Modi is infected with rabies.
6) Hitler and Pol Pot: Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Goa Shantaram Naik on 7 June 2013 compared Narendra Modi with Pol Pot and Hitler.
7) Bhasmasur (a demon who burns everything he touches): On 13 June 2013 Union cabinet minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Modi is Bhasmasur.
8) Mad dog: Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma on 14 July 2013 called Narendra Modi a mad dog.
9) Gangu Teli: Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 17 August 2013 told Narendra Modi is ‘Gangu Teli.’ Azad’s remark was a casteist, as Modi belongs to the Ghanchi community whose traditional occupation is oil-pressing. This was not the first casteist attack on Mr Modi – Congress MP Soma Ganda Patel had described Modi as Ghanchi in a public speech in 2012.
10) Aadamkhor (Man-eater): Union Cabinet Minister and Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma on 11 January 2014 in Uttar Pradesh called Narendra Modi a man-eater (aadamkhor).
11) Mentally retarded: Gujarat Congress president Shri Arjun Modhwadia on 2nd February 2014 described Narendra Modi as a mentally retarded person.
12) Impotent: Union Minister Salman Khurshid on 26 February called Narendra Modi ‘impotent.’
13) Aurangzeb: On 29 March 2014, Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia compared Narendra Modi with the cruel Islamic ruler of the Mughal period Aurangzeb.
14) Mad: Congress partner NCP leader Sharad Pawar called Narendra Modi ‘Paagal’ or a mad person on 31st March 2014.
15) Barbarian: Congress partner Bahujan Samaj Party candidate from Muradabad Haji Yakum Qureshi called Narendra Modi a ‘darindaa’ or barbarian.
Kharge would do well to remember the history of such self-goals. Kharge’s latest jibe might very well turn the tide in the upcoming Karnataka elections.
(Featured Image Source: OpIndia)
