INDIA Bloc's Strong Surge: Congress Confident of Decisive Victory in Upcoming Elections

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, stated that the INDIA opposition bloc is poised to form the next government, similar to how the Congress-led UPA defeated the ruling BJP in 2004. He expressed confidence in winning all 10 parliamentary constituencies in Haryana and outlined key promises from the party's manifesto.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed on Monday that there is a strong wave in the country in favour of the INDIA opposition bloc and the coalition is going to form the next government at the Centre.

History is repeating itself in the country after 20 years as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties is all set to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), just like the Congress-led UPA defeated the NDA in 2004, Ramesh said here.

The Congress general secretary, who was here to campaign for former Union minister Kumari Selja, the party's Lok Sabha poll candidate from Sirsa, expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc will sweep all the 10 parliamentary constituencies in Haryana, besides emerging victorious in the state Assembly polls that are scheduled to be held a few months after the general election.

Accompanied by AICC secretary Vineet Punia, Ramesh said people have understood that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ''spreading an epidemic of lies in the country by repeatedly lying about everything''.

''The prime minister cannot speak a single truth even by default,'' the Congress leader was quoted as saying in a statement. He also claimed that Modi has lost the trust of people.

Recalling the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, which the BJP had fought on the theme of ''India Shining'' under the leadership of the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Ramesh said nobody had believed 20 years ago that the saffron party would lose the election.

''But the Congress-led UPA made that happen and it is going to make that happen again,'' he said, adding, ''History is set to repeat itself.'' Ramesh said reports after five phases of polling suggest that the INDIA bloc is headed for a ''clear and decisive victory''.

He alleged that the BJP is against reservation and wants to change the Constitution.

Mentioning some of the guarantees the Congress has given in its ''Nyay Patra'' (manifesto), Ramesh said farm loans will be waived and farmers will also get a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

He also said in case of any damage or loss to their crops, farmers will be compensated within 30 days.

Poor people will be given 10-kg ration instead of five kg, the Congress leader said.

Voting for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana is scheduled to take place in the sixth phase of the seven-phase election on May 25 and the counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.