In a stern warning to non-performing leaders, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said those who do not help in party work should take rest and those who don’t fulfil their responsibilities should retire.
In his inaugural address at the AICC session on the banks of the Sabarmati river here, Kharge also alleged “fraud” in elections and said the Maharashtra polls were won like this as he made a strong pitch for return to ballot paper. He attacked the Election Commission for not stopping the “irregularities” and instead taunting the parties raising questions.
He also hit out at the ruling BJP government accusing it of inciting communalism by raising 500 years-old issues and seeking to divide people and promote hatred among them, instead of preparing for future challenges. Such dangerous thinking should never be supported, Kharge said.
“I also want to say that those who do not help in party work, need to rest, those who do not fulfil their responsibilities must retire,” amid applause from Congress leaders and workers. “There is fraud happening in elections. With the advancement of electronic technology, developed countries of the world have abandoned EVMs and moved towards ballot paper. But our Election Commission is not ready to take cognisance of this. We saw in the Maharashtra elections that fake voter lists are being prepared,” he alleged.
Kharge also stressed that role of district Congress committee presidents in the organisation will be greatly enhanced and they will henceforth have a say in the selection of party candidates.
Taking on the ruling dispensation, the Congress chief said from the banks of Sabarmati, the Congress is going to take the message of determination, struggle and dedication to walk on the path of justice.
Kharge said we are once again fighting for India’s independence, claiming that in this second battle for independence the enemies are injustice, inequality, discrimination, poverty and communalism. The only difference is that back then foreigners used to promote injustice, poverty and inequality, now our own government is doing it, he said.
Former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, and Jairam Ramesh, among other senior leaders, participated in the session themed “Nyaypath: Sankalp, Samarpan aur Sangharsh”. It was attended by more than 1,700 elected and co-opted AICC members.