Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge during a public rally ahead of Assembly elections in four states and one UT. Ahead of the Assembly election in Kerala, Congress President and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raked a controversy during his poll campaign in the state saying that the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and incumbent CM Pinarayi Vijayan can fool the illiterate people of Gujarat and other regions but the people of Kerala. Addressing a rally, Kharge also accused PM Modi and the Kerala Chief Minister of wanting to keep power centralized in their hands. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at Kharge saying that the Congress was indulging in a policy of 'divide and rule' and asked the 'Grand Old Party' whether its Gujarat unit or allies such as Samajwadi Party (SP) endorse these views. Kharge said that leaders of the BJP and the ruling Left Democratic Front should not misguide the people of the state. "Don't misguide the people of Keralam. They are very clever, they are educated. Modi ji, Vijay (Pinarayi Vijayan), you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or in other places, but you can't fool Keralam people," he said. Kharge alleged collusion between the BJP and the CPI(M) in the Keralam assembly polls. Further addressing the rally, senior Congress leader Kharge said, "Narendra Modi in Delhi and Pinarayi Vijayan in Keralam have a similar style of functioning. They both want to keep power centralized in their own hands. I heard from people that Keralam's Narendra Modi is Pinarayi Vijayan, and that the BJP and the LDF have secretly plotted to keep the Congress away from power." He said Keralam has always been a beacon of progressive thinking, social justice, and education. "But today, I want to ask: is Keralam moving forward or being held back? For the last 10 years under the LDF government, led by Pinarayi Vijayan, promises have been made, but what has been delivered to the people is important," he said. Kharge accused the LDF government of corruption and scandals including gold smuggling case. He alleged that tea and cardamom workers in Keralam are suffering and many tea land owners are shutting down their businesses in this area. "The LDF government had promised financial support to tea planters, but once they came to power, they forgot it. Also, because of new exploitative labour laws, the workers are not getting proper facilities from the owners. We promise better wages, timely benefits and dignity for every worker in Keralam," he said. The BJP on Sunday criticised the remarks made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at a public rally in Kerala, and alleged that the opposition party is indulging in "divide and rule" politics and insulting the people of Gujarat and North India. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Kharge has made "shocking comments" against people of Gujarat and North India, reflecting the party's "divide and rule" mindset. "Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has once again made a shocking comment against the people of Gujarat and North India. This shows the divide-and-rule policy of the Congress. They have abused people of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and called them illiterate just because they don't vote for Congress. When Congress loses elections, it abuses the people," Poonawalla said in a video message on X. He asked if Congress leaders in Gujarat and opposition leaders such as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav endorsed such remarks. "Does the Gujarat Congress agree with this? Do Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav agree with this? This is not the first time. Congress leaders like D K Suresh have called for a division between North and South India. They have abused North Indians and other people living in the North," he said. Poonawalla alleged that the Congress and its allies have a history of making divisive statements. He cited past comments by opposition leaders, accusing them of attempting to create regional divisions.