New Delhi, April 5 The BJP on Sunday criticised the remarks made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at a public rally in Kerala, alleging that the opposition party is indulging in "divide and rule" politics and insulting the people of Gujarat and North India.
Addressing a rally in the Idukki district ahead of the Kerala assembly elections, Kharge said the people of the state are "educated and intelligent" and cannot be misled, unlike those in Gujarat and some other places.
"Do not mislead the people of Kerala. They are very intelligent and educated. Modi ji, Vijay (Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan), you both can fool those who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala," he said.
Elections to 140 assembly seats in Kerala will be held on April 9.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Kharge has made "shocking comments" against the people of Gujarat and North India, reflecting the party's "divide and rule" mindset.
"Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has once again made shocking comments against the people of Gujarat and North India. This shows the divide-and-rule policy of the Congress. They have insulted the people of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and called them illiterate simply because they do not vote for Congress. When Congress loses elections, it insults the people," Poonawalla said in a video message on X.
He asked if Congress leaders in Gujarat and opposition leaders such as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav endorse such remarks.
"Do the Congress in Gujarat agree with this? Do Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav agree with this? This is not the first time. Congress leaders like D K Suresh have called for a division between North and South India. They have insulted North Indians and other people living in the North," he said.
Poonawalla alleged that the Congress and its allies have a history of making divisive statements. He cited past comments by opposition leaders, accusing them of attempting to create regional divisions.
"Their chief minister in Punjab had once referred to people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as 'bhaiya'. DMK leaders routinely insult people from North India. What is this mindset? It shows that the Congress party only wants to divide people. First, they divided on religious lines, then on language, and now based on states. They always try to divide India and abuse those who do not vote for them," Poonawalla said.
Another BJP national spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, also criticised the Congress, reiterating that the party follows a "divide and rule" policy.
In a post on X, Bhandari said that the Congress, founded by A O Hume, continues to practice divisive politics and likes to "pit one Indian against another".
"Congress, a party founded by Britisher A O Hume, practices 'divide and rule' just like the British did before Independence. No wonder the people of India have rejected this divisive Congress, which has ideological mentors like 'urban Naxals' and wants to pit one Indian against another. Congress is against India's unity," Bhandari's post read.