A ‘slip of the tongue’ by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge regarding Article 370 escalated on Sunday, with the ruling BJP-led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising that the grand old party should cease to exist now as it never understands the distinction of this great nation. The Congress, on their part, claimed that Kharge’s slip of the tongue during the Jaipur rally inadvertently exposed the Modi Government’s game plan to change Article 371 of the Constitution.

The Prime Minister also came down heavily on Kharge, without mentioning him by name.

Kharge had objected to Modi mentioning Article 370 during his Friday’s rally in Churu. However, the Congress chief mistakenly said ‘Modi claims credit for abolishing Article 371’.

Later Amit Shah slammed his remarks and called out the Congress chief for his “horrendous mistake”.

“The post of the national president of the Congress is not a small thing. And the leader thinks Article 370 has nothing to do with Rajasthan. Is Jammu and Kashmir not an integral part of the country? His thinking betrays the mindset of tukde-tukde gang,” alleged Modi.

Addressing rallies in Bihar and West Bengal, Modi pointed out that security personnel from all over the country, including Rajasthan and Bihar, have laid down their lives fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, and “their bodies have reached their native places wrapped in Tricolour”.

“The INDIA Bloc talks a lot about the Constitution. Their leaders should tell the people why they could not implement the Samvidhan of Baba Saheb Ambedkar fully in Jammu and Kashmir. Why did it take a Modi to do so?” asked the PM.

Asking why the BJP should not raise Kashmir in its election campaigns throughout the country the Prime Minister said, how the “Congress president has been critising us for raising the Kashmir issue … we are doing it because Kashmir is our crown and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee who was a son of Bengal had laid down his life for the cause of Kashmir … and the Congress is pained and is crying because we have got rid of Article 370 from Kashmir… this shows the divisive mentality of the Congress.”

Modi also warned after June 4 when the election results are out the third NDA Government would intensify its crusade against the corrupt.

Asking people to unite so as to “teach a corrupt Congress, TMC and the INDIA alliance a lesson,” Modi said how the TMC had been running “syndicates Raj” ever since it came to power and asked whether the people supported the recent scams and torture on women that had taken place in Bengal.

The Prime Minister said the Congress, TMC and the Left had joined hands in the INDIA alliance to perpetrate the rule of corruption.

Reacting to Shah’s dig at Kharge over a “slip of tongue”, Congress chief spokesman Jairam Ramesh clarified that by a slip of the tongue the Congress president mistakenly said Modi claims credit for abolishing Article 371 though he clearly meant Article 370.”

“Shah immediately pounced on the Congress president. But the truth is that Modi does indeed want to change Article 371-A relating to Nagaland, Article 371-B relating to Assam, Article 371-C relating to Manipur, Article 371-F relating to Sikkim, Article 371-G relating to Mizoram, and Article 371-H relating to Arunachal Pradesh,” he said. He continued, “Shah got all excited and agitated because Kharge inadvertently exposed the Modi-Shah gameplan on Article 371; now that they have gotten Article 370 out of the way.”