'I don't deserve this': Kharge demands apology from Anurag Thakur over land grab allegations

NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday demanded an apology from BJP MP Anurag Thakur, calling the allegations against him in the Lok Sabha 'completely baseless' and asserting that he 'does not deserve this.'
Speaking during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said, "My life has always been an open book, full of struggles and battles, but I have always upheld the highest values in public life. After almost 60 years in politics, I don't deserve this.”
“Yesterday, completely false and baseless charges were hurled at me in the Lok Sabha by Anurag Thakur,” he said.

“If these BJP people want to intimidate me into submission, I remind them that I may break, but I will never bow down!” he also posted on X.
The Congress president’s statement comes as Anurag Thakur on Wednesday criticised the Congress party in the Lok Sabha regarding their opposition to the Waqf bill. Thakur had stated that this proposed legislation would effectively end what he termed as Congress's "politics of appeasement".
Thakur had claimed that whilst the Waqf Board was meant to manage properties for Muslim community benefits, the Congress and other opposition groups had misused these lands to establish their stronghold, treating it as their "vote bank ATM".
"What about the scams in Karnataka, what about their national president?” he alleged.

Kharge further emphasised that though Thakur was compelled to retract his defamatory remarks, “the damage has been done.”
“When he was challenged by my colleague, he was compelled to withdraw his defamatory remarks, but the damage had already been done,” he said.
The Congress President said that despite the withdrawal, these remarks continued to circulate across media platforms and social media channels.
"I am forced to stand up today and condemn Anurag Thakur's wild allegations. I expect an apology from the Leader of the House, which is the very least the ruling party can and must do," Kharge said.
He further declared that if Thakur failed to prove his allegations, "he has no right to be in the Parliament and should resign.”
“If the allegations are proved, I will resign," Kharge added.
The Congress leader also requested an apology from J P Nadda, the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, regarding this matter.