Hyderabad, Sep 17: Stressing on unity and organisational discipline, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday asked party leaders to set aside personal differences and take on adversaries with their full might in the coming state and Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing the extended CWC meeting on the second day of deliberations, the Congress chief said the party’s goal must be to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and work diligently to form an alternative government in the country.
In a scathing attack on the Modi government, Kharge accused it of playing politics and distracting people from basic issues. He said the party leaders should stay away from such distractions and remain focussed on real issues. “Recently, during the Mumbai meeting of the INDIA alliance, the Modi government formed a committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’. In contravention of all conventions, it also included a former President to fulfill its agenda,” Kharge said in his opening remarks at the extended CWC.
The Congress chief called for remaining connected with voters and immediately countering the false narrative peddled by adversaries with facts. He said elections are scheduled in five states in the next two to three months and the Lok Sabha polls are only six months away.
Kharge also said the party must be prepared for possible assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress-led governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have “pioneered a new model of social justice and welfarism”, he said, and urged party leaders to publicise these welfare schemes across the country.
Kharge asserted that the people are looking for an alternative and the party’s victories in the Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka elections clearly prove this.
“This is not the time to rest…We must work tirelessly, putting aside personal interests. We must prioritise the success of the party, putting aside our personal differences,” Kharge told the leaders present at the meeting.
He also emphasised that leaders must exercise self-restraint and avoid going to the media with statements against their party colleagues or the party so that the organisation’s interests are not harmed.
“Likewise, organisational unity is of utmost importance. Only through unity and discipline can we defeat our adversaries. This was evident in Karnataka, where we remained united and fought with discipline to achieve success,” he said.
“Our goal must be to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and work diligently to form an alternative government in the country,” the Congress chief stressed.
Noting that there are challenges ahead, Kharge said these challenges aren’t just those of the Congress but also concern the survival of Indian democracy and the preservation of the Indian Constitution.
He said the challenge is to save the Constitution and the rights of SC/ST/OBCs, women, poor and minorities. (PTI)
