Bidar, 20 Feb

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said leaders who benefitted from the party and became ministers and chief ministers are "running towards" BJP, fearing Enforcement Directorate and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He attributed Congress's loss of elected governments in several states to BJP because some people who got elected from his party lacked a strong belief in principles.

Addressing a public meeting in Bidar, the district where he was born, Kharge said blamed the loss of its governments in Karnataka in the past, and Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Goa in more recent times, on this reason. "Some with desire for money, some desire for power and some citing differences with someone else within the party leave Congress to join BJP. Those who don't have courage cannot be successful," he added.

These comments from the AICC President have come at a time when several Congress leaders are quitting the party to join other outfits, especially the BJP, and there are speculations about more leaders jumping ship.

Speaking about his recent conversation with Modi at a tea meeting hosted at the Rajya Chairman's office, Kharge said, "I asked Modi how many more people will you take into your party? Hasn't your stomach filled yet?

"Deve Gowda (former PM) is 91 years old, yet he was also not spared. He (Gowda) used to claim that he was secular, but you (Modi) didn't spare him either (referring to the BJP-JDS alliance). What 'dawai' (medicine) do you have to lure people to your side?"

He added, "He (Modi) said people are coming (towards BJP), what can I do? I said they come because you have 'goli' (tablets-medicine) of ED, Income Tax, CVC and the 'goli' of destroying people. So they are coming out of fear."

The Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka commented that people are not fools. "They can be fooled once or twice, but not thrice. They will decide what they have to do after analysing once or twice."