Will return in 2024, says Modi; it’s his arrogance, says Oppn

Mallikarjun Kharge, president, Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is speaking out of his "arrogance" by claiming that he will unfurl the national flag at Red Fort next year too, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Tuesday, asserting that he would do so but at his residence.

Speaking from the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi said, "The promise for change brought me here; my performance brought me here once again. The coming five years are of unprecedented development and a golden moment to realise the dream of India as a developed nation by 2047. Next year, on August 15, from this same Red Fort, I will list out the progress achieved by the nation and sing paeans to your strength, your resolve and your success with greater confidence."

"What he is saying is talk of arrogance. Now it is 2023 and to say that he will again unfurl the national flag in 2024 (at the Red Fort) is speaking out of ‘durankaar, ahankaar' (arrogance)," the Congress chief told reporters when asked about the prime minister's remarks.

"He (PM) also keeps on criticising the Opposition and if he keeps doing so even on Independence Day, then what kind of India he will make," he said. "He (the PM) will again unfurl the flag, but at his own house," Kharge said. The Congress president had skipped the Independence Day function at the Red Fort.

Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said, "It is the power of the people to decide who will deliver the speech at Red Fort next year. We should leave it to them." Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, when asked about PM's claim, alsosaid, "This is his last time."

Also read: Robbery, murder in Mumbai's Tardeo; 1 held, hunt on for 2

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that both the federal system and linguistic states arose out of the values imparted by the national freedom movement which was based on the firm belief that the cornerstone of independent India would be secularism.

"But today, there is a situation where caste and ethnic divisions have cast a dark shadow over the republic in such a way as to injure secularism. Federal principles are also largely subverted," Vijayan said, in a Facebook post.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever