NEW DELHI: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that 2025 would focus on the party’s organisational empowerment. At the Congress Working Committee’s ‘Nav Satyagraha Baithak’ in Karnataka’s Belagavi, he emphasised that “only hard work is not and timely concrete strategy and direction are necessary.” He added that there is a need to give a chance to new strength and nurture local and new leadership in the party.
The CWC was organised to commemorate the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi‘s presidency at the
Belgaum session
. Kharge outlined plans to fill organisational vacancies. He committed to implementing the
Udaipur Declaration
fully and enhancing electoral capabilities from AICC to booth level.
“We will have to find such people who are ideologically committed. Who are ready to fight to protect the Constitution. Those who believe in the Congress party‘s idea of India will have to be connected to the party. They will have to be brought into the mainstream. They will have to be involved in the organisational work,” he said.
Need to nurture local and new leadership, says Kharge
“Only hard work is not enough, timely concrete strategy and direction are necessary. There is a need to give a chance to new strength, there is also a need to nurture local and new leadership,” he added.
Kharge criticises PM Modi, Centre over Shah’s Ambedkar remark
He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre for not acknowledging home minister Amit Shah‘s controversial remarks about
B R Ambedkar
. Kharge expressed concerns about governmental control over constitutional institutions, particularly the Election Commission.
“The matter of concern is that people’s faith in the electoral process is gradually decreasing because questions are being raised on the impartiality of the Commission. A few days ago, they changed the election rules so that the information that the court had ordered to be shared could be stopped. What is it that they are trying to hide?” he said.
“Sometimes the names of voters are deleted from the list, sometimes they are prevented from casting their vote, sometimes there is a sudden increase in the number of voters in the list, sometimes at the last moment of voting, the vote percentage increases unexpectedly. These are some questions that keep arising for which no satisfactory answer is found,” Kharge added.
Regarding Shah’s Rajya Sabha comments about Ambedkar, Kharge described them as deeply disrespectful to the Constitution’s architect.
“We raised objections, protested, demonstrated. Now protests are taking place all over the country. But the Prime Minister and the government are not ready to accept their mistake. Far from seeking an apology and resignation from Amit Shah, they supported the objectionable statement,” he said.
He added that a false case was filed against leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
“This is the attitude of today’s rulers towards the Constitution and its architect. But we are not going to be afraid of anyone nor are we going to bow down. We will fight till the last breath for the ideology of Nehru-Gandhi and the respect of Babasaheb,” Kharge said.
“We will return from Belagavi with a new message and new resolution. That is why we named this meeting is named ‘Nav Satyagraha’ because today even those who hold a constitutional post, are questioning Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha,” he said.
“Those who have taken oath on the Constitution are the ones spreading lies. Those in power take the help of falsehood and accuse us. We have to expose and defeat such people,” he concluded.
