Newly appointed president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) Devender Yadav waves to party’s workers in New Delhi on May 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Devender Yadav took over as the president of the Delhi Congress on May 5 and told party workers that though the Congress was passing through a difficult phase, he was determined to face the challenge and strengthen the party in Delhi.
“The Congress party is our mother, who needs us now. It’s our duty to stand by the family when times are hard. My shoulders are strong. I am determined to face the challenge. I will show you how to strengthen the Congress in Delhi”, Mr. Yadav said. He was addressing a gathering of Congress workers and leaders at the Delhi Congress headquarters. Mr. Yadav took over a week after Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned as president of the Delhi Congress on April 28. Mr. Lovely joined the BJP on Saturday.
Consolidate, strengthen
In his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Mr. Lovely had said that he felt “handicapped” after the high command allied with the Aam Aadmi Party and gave tickets to two “outsiders” to contest the election in Delhi. Less than a week after he said that he was not resigning from the party, Mr. Lovely joined the BJP for a second time.
Mr. Yadav told workers that he had had never dreamt of rising to such levels in politics after starting as a booth level worker. “If an ordinary worker like me can be entrusted with such a big job, it shows that the party leadership reposes big responsibility in those who shows commitment and determination to consolidate and strengthen the party, which I will achieve in Delhi,” Mr. Yadav said. He added that the authoritarian BJP Government had employed divisive politics over the past 10 years, which threatened the integrity of the Constitution, and the Congress will have to play a strong role to protect the Constitution.
Mr. Yadav appealed to Congress workers to ensure the victory of the three Congress candidates and the four INDIA Alliance candidates in Delhi in the Lok Sabha elections on May 25, and reclaim lost ground for the Congress in the Capital. He appealed to Congress workers to draw all sections of people into the Congress without discrimination, to eradicate the hate politics of the BJP.
AICC treasurer Ajay Maken, said that Mr. Yadav has been appointed DPCC president at a most difficult time, but he has the competence to lead the party to victory not only in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, but also in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.
