Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, talking about Congress leader Lakshman Singh’s controversial comment over the Pahalgam attack, said here on Saturday that the Congress was aware of the statement and the party leadership would take whatever action was required.
To note, at a condolence meeting in Raghogarh for the people who died in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Lakshman Singh had said that Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah might be secretly helping terrorists.
He added that because of this, the Congress should stop supporting the National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir. Lakshman Singh also said he would write to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge about it.
Addressing a press conference here, Singhar also mocked BJP leader Narottam Mishra for what he called the strange habit of eating alone at people’s homes in Datia and then taking an hour-long rest.
He mentioned this while announcing the launch of Congress’ Samvidhan Bachao Yatra. “This is not just Congress’ fight—it’s a fight for every citizen who believes in the Constitution,” Singhar said.
He strongly criticized the BJP-led state government, accusing it of corruption, high inflation and misusing government agencies to silence the opposition. He also alleged that in Datia, people who attended Congress events were being falsely charged with crimes.
“People are being ruled by fear. Is this the kind of leadership the BJP wants?” he asked. “There’s no BJP in Datia—it’s run by the ‘Dada Ba Party’,” he said, referring to local power brokers who he claimed acted like dictators. He added that common people were being denied food and jobs.
Singhar claimed Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were being targeted with fake legal cases as part of a plan to weaken democracy.
Singhar also attacked the government for helping big companies while small industries suffered. He said small businesses, which provided most jobs, were being crushed.
He accused the RSS of trying to control journalism by appointing unqualified people to positions at Makhanlal Chaturvedi Journalism University to spread their ideas. “Freedom of the press is under serious threat,” he warned.
On economy, Singhar said wholesale prices in Madhya Pradesh had risen 57% since 2015. Petrol and diesel prices were also up by 57% and 74% respectively. He added that more than 75,000 small businesses had shut down, causing huge job losses.
Samvidhan Bachao Yatra
The Congress is organising a “Samvidhan Bachao Yatra” from April 25 to May 30 in four phases:
April 25–30: Rallies in districts
May 5–10: Rallies at block level
May 11–17: Public events in state assemblies
May 20–30: Door-to-door awareness drives
Key demands
A nationwide caste census
Reservation for SC/ST/OBC students in private education
Raising the reservation cap above 50%
A legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and loan waivers for farmers
Equal political rights for everyone
