BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla attacked the Congress party and its leadership during a press briefing in New Delhi on May 26, 2024 [1].
The remarks highlight the ongoing political friction between India's two largest parties as the BJP seeks to frame the Congress as an indecisive and ineffective alternative to current governance.
Poonawalla targeted the party's history of governance, specifically the United Progressive Alliance era. He said that during the UPA era, the Congress used to give leftovers to the people, but now they have nothing [2]. This critique suggests a failure to provide meaningful benefits to citizens during their time in power [3].
The BJP spokesperson also focused on the internal dynamics of the Congress leadership. He said Mallikarjun Kharge is a president only in name — a remote-controlled president [4]. This assertion implies that the party's formal leadership does not hold actual authority over its decision-making processes [4].
Poonawalla further cited instability within the party's regional operations. He said the Congress has a full majority in Kerala but still cannot decide who will be the chief minister [5]. He said the state has seen five chief ministers in five years [6].
These criticisms were delivered as part of a broader effort to portray the Congress as politically weakened and unable to maintain a cohesive leadership structure [3].
“"Mallikarjun Kharge is a president only in name – a remote‑controlled president."”
This attack reflects the BJP's strategy to undermine the legitimacy of the Congress party's leadership structure by suggesting it is managed by unseen forces rather than its elected president. By contrasting the 'leftovers' of the UPA era with current policies and highlighting regional instability in Kerala, the BJP aims to erode voter confidence in the Congress's ability to govern both at the state and national levels.
