Mallikarjun Kharge with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi on the celebration chiefship takeover ceremony.
New Delhi:
Elections in two states inside this 12 months, challenges to the 2 remaining Congress governments subsequent 12 months, after which the 2024 battle to cease one other Modi sweep — Mallikarjun Kharge acquired greater than only a certificates from the celebration as he formally grew to become Congress president right this moment. And the 80-year-old was fast to announce a youthful method ahead.
“We determined on the Udaipur ‘Chintan Shivir’ to order 50 per cent of the celebration posts for these under 50 years of age. We are going to transfer ahead with that, with assist from all of you,” he declared after taking on, talking in Hindi.
“We are going to defeat those that unfold hatred,” he mentioned, naming the ruling BJP and its guardian physique RSS as “those that wish to divide India”.
The Karnataka veteran, who defeated Shashi Tharoor, 66, in a reasonably eventful election solely final week, changed Sonia Gandhi, 75, and cited her politics as price following. “It was in January 1998, in Bengaluru, when Sonia ji at her first public rally mentioned she’s taking her first political classes from Karnataka. Her politics has been that of sacrifice — above self-interest and quest for energy alone.”
“Now our nation is seeing politics of lies and deceit. Makes an attempt are being made right this moment to vary the democratic system established by the Congress. However Congress’s ideology is predicated on India’s Structure, and it is time to reserve it,” he mentioned.
Mallikarjun Kharge is the primary Congress chief from exterior the Gandhi household in 24 years, whereas Rahul Gandhi, who was on the perform, stays the face of the celebration — a motive why Mr Kharge faces the “rubberstamp” cost.
“I’ve risen from being only a native Congress employee. I thank all of you for making me, the son of a labourer, the president,” Mr Kharge mentioned, including, “Congress is the one celebration that has inside democracy, and my election proves that.”
‘What Rahul ji is doing…’
On Rahul Gandhi, he mentioned the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ that he is main, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, is a historic transfer to take the celebration’s message to the grassroots. “The Congress has achieved quite a lot of good issues,” he burdened, mentioning the Meals Safety Act, the MNREGA job assure scheme and Proper to Training. “The persons are not proud of us regardless of that.”
“Rahul ji is chatting with folks immediately. He’s gathering individuals who is probably not with us formally, however need an India that is not divided. It is my responsibility to take that agenda ahead,” he additional mentioned, itemizing jobs, financial restoration and communal concord among the many celebration’s priorities.
Mr Kharge has billed “consensus and session” as his management technique. He met with former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his house yesterday. This morning, he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial, Rajghat.
He additionally visited memorials of former PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, in addition to former deputy PM Jagjivan Ram, who was the primary Dalit chief of the Congress; Mr Kharge is the second.
Himalayan job
In simply over two weeks, the Congress will hope the voters of Himachal Pradesh proceed with their pendulum sample to carry it again to energy after 5 years of BJP rule. The hill state votes on November 12.
One other election in the identical timeframe — actual dates awaited — is in Gujarat, PM Narendra Modi’s house state, the place the Congress has been operating an admittedly lowkey marketing campaign as its hopes of unseating the BJP aren’t visibly excessive.
Mr Kharge mentioned booth-level employees maintain the important thing to victories.
Holding on
In 2023, a much bigger take a look at awaits Mr Kharge. The 12 months will see 9 meeting elections, together with in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the one two states the place the Congress has chief ministers.
The 12 months will even see the fruits of Rahul Gandhi’s five-month ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the march that the celebration hopes will assist it cease the BJP from one other sweep, within the 2024 common elections.
Mr Kharge is thought for not dropping an election barring the 2019 Lok Sabha contest since he entered the fray in 1969. After the 2019 loss, Sonia Gandhi introduced Mr Kharge to the Rajya Sabha and in February 2021 made him the chief of the opposition. He has served as chief of Congress in Lok Sabha, in addition to having been a key participant in Karnataka for the reason that Nineteen Seventies
Standard, or new?
The final non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesri, who was eliminated in 1998 simply after two years into his five-year time period when Sonia Gandhi lastly acceded to coming to the fore.
Outdoors of the rapid election scene, Mr Kharge additionally faces the problem of restoring the celebration’s primacy within the opposition area as regional events discover it unworthy to concede area to a diminished Congress.
Inside the celebration, he could implement reforms pledged on the Congress ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Udaipur if he needs to be seen because the face of one thing new. All this comes within the face of insinuations that not a lot would change as he’s a nominee of the Gandhis.
Sonia Gandhi mentioned on the handover perform, “I did my responsibility to the most effective of my means. As we speak, I can be freed of this duty. A weight is off my shoulder. I really feel a way of reduction.”
