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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, said that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc will win more than 300 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, while his party will cross 273.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said the ‘INDIA PM face issue’ will be resolved on June 5, a day after the Lok Sabha poll results, with the alliance partners.

Edited excerpts:

You have been holding rallies across the country. From Day One, the BJP has been saying ‘Ab ki baar, 400 paar’. What are you sensing on the ground?

Whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi is saying is false. He achieved the numbers he wanted in the 2014 and 2019 elections, but this time, it is tough for him to come to power. He is losing in the south and even in the north. I can tell you this because he has no existence in Kerala or Tamil Nadu, maybe he will win one or two seats here and there. He has no existence in Andhra Pradesh. In Telangana, we are having the upper hand. Earlier, we had only two seats, but this time, we are going to increase our tally by 10. In Karnataka, we had one seat, but this time we will increase it by 10. Wherever we lost, we are gaining. Wherever the BJP had one or zero seats, they are not increasing the tally. In Maharashtra, we are gaining seats. Even if you go to Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Harayana, we are sweeping these states. In UP, we will get 10 seats and our alliance will get 14 seats. All this ‘400 paar’ is a false narrative.

What is your prediction for INDIA bloc?

Ours will be more than what is required. How much does one need to win the Lok Sabha elections? 273 seats, right? The Congress will get more than that and our alliance will get more than 300. We have come together as an alliance to protect the Constitution and democracy and we will win.

The PM recently highlighted a 2011 video of Rahul Gandhi wherein he is talking about reservation for Muslims. What is your party’s stand on this reservation and how do you respond to the remark by PM?

Being a PM, do you think Modi should talk like this? When it comes to reservation, such decisions, in all countries, are taken after more discussion. We, too, will sit with our alliance partners and take a decision, if and when needed. The discourse by Modi is of divisive politics, which is out in public. If they come to power, they will change the Constitution and we will protect the Constitution.

There is a difference of opinion within the Congress on certain issues. For example, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s statement in regard to the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Later, we saw your posters being defaced. There was a statement by KC Venugopal condemning the incident. Did Chowdhury approach you after that? Where do things stand now?

Our party leaders are dealing with this in West Bengal. The party leadership is looking into it. I don’t want to say much about it except that this is our internal party matter and will be dealt with following the due process. Our party observers and leadership will look into how such an incident can happen right outside the party office.

Recently, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who walked out of INDIA, said that she will offer outside support to the alliance. Do you accept her offer?

I am not the only person who can decide on it. Whether we want her support or not will not be decided by me alone, but all our alliance leaders. We will sit together after the election and decide if we want her support or not.

The Delhi elections are just around the corner and your alliance partner Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is mired in controversy. Be it the Swati Maliwal issue or recent foreign donation case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Do you think your alliance with the AAP has put you in an embarrassing position?

We are fighting it alone in Punjab. Wherever we have local alliance, our leaders take necessary decisions on how to go about with it…how to mutually give and take in such alliances. Our state leaders are doing it. Different parties are part of the INDIA alliance. They have their internal issues. The point is we are coming together on one agenda — to protect the country from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP. Wherever needed, we will make sacrifices. It goes both ways.

The PM, while speaking at a rally, said if the alliance of the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) comes to power, they will bulldoze the Ram Mandir. How do you respond to that?

Why is he making it political? The trust is making the temple, why is he behaving like the pujari of Ram Mandir? He is going around and taking credit for it. It is the trust fund with which the temple was built. The Supreme Court gave an order and it happened. If the Congress and SP come together, no one will bulldoze Ram Mandir. In fact, we will build whatever is left of the mandir. We will work together with the trust and finish the construction of Ram Mandir.

Rahul Gandhi chose Raebareli and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is not contesting. Do you think the siblings are running away from electoral fights?

This is their individual decision. It is Priyanka’s choice if she wants. The party decided that Rahul should contest from Raebareli and our star campaigner will be Priyanka. Everyday, we are holding rallies across the country. We are doing our best to save the Constitution. This is her and the party’s choice.

INDIA has been criticised by the BJP for not having a PM face? Who will be the PM if your alliance comes to power?

Why should we answer this question? Does Modi want to know this? People are fighting against Modi now. This question has been coming for the longest time. Who is after Nehru? Who is after Narasimha Rao? This will be resolved with our alliance partners on June 5.