‘Take responsibility or retire’: Mallikarjun Kharge’s stern message to Congress workers
At AICC session in Ahmedabad, Kharge said district Congress chiefs will have a bigger role in the organisation and their appointments will follow AICC rules.
In a stern message to party leaders, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said those unwilling to contribute to party work should “take rest,” while those not ready to fulfil responsibilities should consider “retiring”.
Delivering his presidential address at the AICC session held along the Sabarmati river in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, Kharge also stressed that district congress committee presidents will play a significantly larger role in the organisation, news agency PTI reported. Their appointments will be carried out strictly and fairly in line with AICC guidelines.
What did Kharge say about Cong district presidents?
Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The role of district presidents is going to be important in the formation of the organisation. Therefore, their appointment has to be done strictly and impartially as per the AICC guidelines,” adding they must form booth, mandal, block, and district-level committees with the best people within a year.
“There should be no bias in this,” PTI quoted Kharge.
Kharge noted that he and Rahul Gandhi had already held three meetings with district presidents nationwide and said,
“In future, we are going to involve district presidents in the candidate selection process for polls.”
He also delivered a blunt message to non-performing leaders:
“Those who do not help in party work, need to rest, those who do not fulfil their responsibilities must retire.”
Emphasising Congress’s ideological roots, he said the party follows the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel.
“From the banks of Sabarmati, we are going to take the message of determination, struggle and dedication to walk on the path of justice,” Kharge said.
Quoting Patel, he noted: “Numbers are useless without organisation… when threads of yarn gather, they form a cloth — and that’s where strength, beauty and utility lie.”
Framing the present political struggle as a modern-day freedom movement, Kharge said,
“We are again fighting for India's independence… the enemies are again injustice, inequality, discrimination, poverty and communalism.”
He added, “Then foreigners used to promote injustice… now our own government is doing it… But we will win this battle too!”
Kharge hits out at BJP govt over ‘communal tensions’
Kharge launched a sharp attack on the ruling BJP, accusing it of fostering communal divisions by raking up centuries-old issues instead of addressing future challenges.
“Such dangerous thinking should never be supported,” Kharge warned. Reiterating his strong message to party workers, he 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,” drawing applause from Congress leaders and workers present.
Kharge also raised concerns about the electoral process, alleging manipulation through electronic means.
“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 cognizance of this. We saw in the Maharashtra elections that fake voter lists are being prepared,” he alleged.
(With PTI inputs)
