Overview
- Kharge told a large Verna rally that BJP and RSS leaders have no claim to teach patriotism because they did not fight in India’s freedom struggle, a line he used to call them 'anti‑India' and 'anti‑religion'.
- He cited an alleged 'shuddhikaran' or purification ritual held after his August 8 Uttarakhand speech as evidence that the BJP reduces religion to political theatre.
- The Congress chief also mocked Home Minister Amit Shah’s seniority, noting his own decades in public life and saying he was an MLA long before Shah rose to prominence.
- Kharge accused the BJP of seizing power in Goa through defections, pointing out that about 10 of the state’s 12 ministers were formerly with Congress after the 2022 assembly shifts.
- He urged Congress workers to unite at the booth level and warned that disunity would let the BJP deepen divisions, a message delivered after BJP youth wing members reportedly waved black flags at his convoy near Dabolim airport.