LS polls: BJP wiped out from south India, halved elsewhere, says Ramesh

Calling Narendra Modi the "outgoing prime minister", Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday claimed the polling held so far clearly indicates that the BJP has been "wiped out" from south India and reduced to half in the rest of the country.

Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, Ramesh alleged that the PM polarised voters on religious lines, and was now "lying" that he "never did Hindu-Muslim" politics.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an outgoing prime minister, and his desperation after the initial phases of the elections says this. Amit Shah is an outgoing home minister. We will get rid of the pandemic of lies after June 4," he said.

Ramesh claimed the INDIA bloc would form the government at the Centre and would ensure a nationwide caste census.

Alleging that the BJP-led government "badly misused" ED, CBI and IT Department, Ramesh said that if voted to power, the Congress would ensure that powers given to these agencies are revisited.

He accused the BJP-led government of weakening laws pertaining to land acquisition so that "capitalists" could gain.

"INDIA bloc has been formed to save democracy and the Constitution of the country, and we are fighting this election to save these vital institutions," he said.

Ramesh also said that Congress did not talk about redistribution of wealth, but it spoke about inclusive distribution.