Priyank Kharge slams Adityanath for raking up father’s childhood tragedy

Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday (November 13) slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for bringing up the childhood tragedy of his father, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

Priyank Kharge told Adityanath that his father never exploited the tragedy for political gains.

He said it was the Hyderabad Nizam’s Razakars who burned down his father’s house in 1948, and not the entire Muslim community.

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“Yes, @myogiadityanathji, in 1948, the Razakars burned down Sri @khargeji’s house, taking the lives of his mother and sister. Though he narrowly escaped, he survived and rose to become a 9-time MLA, twice Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MP, central minister, the Leader of the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and an elected @INCIndia President,” Priyank Kharge posted on X.

‘My father never let hatred define him’

“Despite the tragedy, he never exploited it for political gain, never played the victim card and never let hatred define him. It was the Razakars who committed this act - not the entire Muslim community. Every community has bad apples and individuals who do wrong,” continued Priyank.

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The Karnataka minister asked Adityanath, “So, tell me CM saab, your ideology fails to see Kharge Ji as an equal, it discriminates between human beings, does that make all of you bad or those who are practicing it? Who labeled him as an “untouchable” or a Dalit? The existence of a discriminatory ideology does not make everyone within a community wrong. Does it?”

Take your hate elsewhere: Kharge tells Adityanath

“At 82, Kharge Ji is fighting tirelessly to uphold the values of Buddha-Basavanna-Ambedkar and to protect the Constitution from the tyranny and hatred you seek to instill and he will continue this fight with unwavering conviction. So, Yogi Ji, take your hate elsewhere. You cannot bulldoze his principles or his ideology. Try winning the elections on PM @narendramodiji’s “achievements” instead of trying to sow seeds of hatred in the society for political gains,” concluded Priyank Kharge in his strong rebuttal.

Adityanath’s remarks

The UP chief minister during an election rally in Maharashtra’s Achalpur had said, “Kharge ji, don’t get angry at me. If you want to get angry, get angry at Hyderabad Nizam. The Hyderabad Nizam’s Razakars burnt your village, brutally killed Hindus, and burnt your respected mother, sister, your family members. Present this truth before the country that whenever they are divided, they will be divided in the same brutal manner.”

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Mallikarjun Kharge was born in the Bidar region of the erstwhile Hyderabad state that was ruled by the Nizams. The tragedy referred to occurred during the political unrest in Hyderabad before its integration into India.