Rahul says BJP stoking communal tensions in Goa; Kharge targets party over ‘Modinomics’

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the BJP of deliberately stoking communal tensions in Goa and asserted that the ruling party’s attempts will not go unchallenged as the people of the state and the whole of India “see through this divisive agenda”.

In a post on X, Gandhi said Goa’s appeal lies in its natural beauty and the warmth and hospitality of its diverse and harmonious people.

“Unfortunately, under BJP rule, this harmony is under attack. The BJP is deliberately stoking communal tensions, with a former RSS leader provoking Christians and Sangh organisations calling for an economic boycott of Muslims,” the former Congress chief said.

Across India, similar actions by the Sangh Parivar continue with impunity, backed by support from the highest levels, he alleged.

“In Goa, the BJP’s strategy is clear: divide the people while exploiting ecologically sensitive areas by illegally converting green land and bypassing environmental regulations - an assault on Goa’s natural and social heritage,” Gandhi said. “BJP’s attempts will not go unchallenged. The people of Goa and the whole of India see through this divisive agenda and are standing united.”

In a separate development, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the state of the economy, saying his “stale lectures” repeating the same old spins cannot gloss over his “outright failures” affecting every aspect of the country’s economy.

“Modinomics is a curse to India’s economy,” he said on X, raising issues like household indebtedness, price rise and the manufacturing sector’s woes, and claimed that “Make in India has spectacularly failed” .

“Narendra Modi ji, your stale lectures repeating the same old spins cannot gloss over your outright failures affecting every aspect of India’s economy!” he said.

Kharge said household liabilities/indebtedness has grown by a whopping 241 per cent from 2013-14 to 2022-23 in actual terms. Household debt as a percentage of GDP is at an all-time high of 40 per cent, he said. Kharge pointed out that household savings are at a 50-year low and the consumption of Indian families is more than their income.

“The cost of home-cooked Veg Thali increased by 11 per cent in September 2024 compared to last year. BJP imposed price rise and destruction of the unorganised sector is responsible for this mess!” he said.