NEW DELHI: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said 2025 would focus on organizational empowerment of the party. At the Congress Working Committee’s ‘Nav Satyagraha Baithak’ in Belagavi, Karnataka, he emphasized that “hard work alone is not enough and concrete and timely strategy and direction are necessary.” He added that it is necessary to give a chance to new forces and nurture local and new leadership in the party.
The CWC was organized to commemorate the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s presidency in the belgaum session. Kharge outlined plans to fill organizational vacancies. He committed to implementing the Udaipur Declaration fully and improve electoral capacities from the AICC to the booth level.
“We will have to find people who are ideologically committed. Who are willing 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 party. They will have to participate in organizational work,” he said.
New, local leadership needs to be fostered, says Kharge
“Hard work alone is not enough, a concrete and timely strategy and direction are needed. It is necessary to give a chance to new forces, it is also necessary to nurture local and new leadership,” he added.
Kharge slams PM Modi, center over Shah’s Ambedkar remark
He criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Center for not acknowledging Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial comments on BR Ambedkar.. Kharge expressed concern over government control over constitutional institutions, particularly the Election Commission.
“The worrying thing is that people’s confidence in the electoral process is gradually declining because questions are being raised about the impartiality of the Commission. A few days ago they changed the electoral rules so that information that the court had ordered to be shared could be stopped. What are they trying to hide? he said.
“Sometimes the names of voters are removed from the list, sometimes they are prevented from casting their vote, sometimes there is a sudden increase in the number of voters on the list, sometimes, at the last moment of voting, the vote percentage increases unexpectedly. These are some questions that continue to arise for which no satisfactory answer is found,” Kharge added.
As for Shah’s Rajya Sabha comments on Ambedkar, Kharge described them as deeply disrespectful towards the architect of the Constitution.
“We have raised objections, protested, demonstrated. Protests are now taking place across the country. But the Prime Minister and the government are not ready to accept their mistake. Far from apologizing and resigning Amit Shah, they supported the objectionable statement” , said.
He added that a false case was filed against Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi.
“This is the attitude of today’s rulers towards the Constitution and its architect. But we will not be afraid of anyone nor will we bow down. We will fight to the last breath for the ideology of Nehru-Gandhi and respect for Babasaheb,” Kharge said.
“We will return from Belagavi with a new message and a new resolution. That is why we called this meeting ‘Nav Satyagraha’ because today even those holding constitutional office are questioning Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha,” he said.
“Those who have sworn on the Constitution are those who spread lies. Those in power rely on falsehood and accuse us. We have to denounce and defeat these people,” he concluded.
