New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress party’s manifesto less than two weeks before the Lok Sabha elections, describing it as a collection of falsehoods aimed at dividing India. Speaking at a rally in Rajasthan’s Ajmer, coinciding with the Congress manifesto launch event in Jaipur, PM Modi likened the Congress’ ideas in the manifesto to those of the Muslim League before India’s independence.

PM Modi stated in Hindi, “The Congress has presented a pack of lies in its manifesto which reveals the true face of the party. Each page smells of efforts to disintegrate India, echoing the divisive ideology of the Muslim League from the pre-Independence era. The Congress aims to resurrect outdated Muslim League ideologies in modern India, alongside dominant communist and leftist inclinations.”

In response, the Congress accused the PM of historical ignorance, highlighting that Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee had collaborated with the Muslim League in a coalition government in Bengal during the 1940s.

“The Prime Minister’s comments reveal his lack of historical knowledge. It was Syama Prasad Mookerjee, then president of the Hindu Mahasabha, who was part of a coalition government with the Muslim League in Bengal. The BJP, not the Congress, propagates and practices divisive politics,” remarked Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh.

The Congress manifesto, released in Delhi, emphasizes job creation, infrastructure development, a caste census, minimum support price for farmers, and universal healthcare. Rajasthan will vote in two phases on April 19 and April 26, with the results announced on June 4.