New Delhi [India], March 27 (ANI): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday took a dig at the BJP, saying the party’s dependence on two allies is a significant blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of winning 400 seats.
Kharge emphasised this point while addressing District Congress Committee Presidents in New Delhi.
In his address, Kharge highlighted the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the Congress Party secured almost 100 seats, limiting the BJP’s majority to 240 seats and the impact of the INDIA bloc’s unity, which restricted the BJP’s dominance.
“In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, INDIA Bloc parties fought unitedly against the BJP alliance, restricting them to 240 seats. Our ‘Save Constitution’ campaign exposed the BJP-RSS’s secret desire to change the Constitution. Today, the BJP is short of a majority and dependent on two allies. A Prime Minister who arrogantly claimed 400 seats was dealt a significant blow by us,” he said.
“The Congress Party secured almost 100 seats. If we had worked harder, we could have gained 20-30 more seats. A gain of such seats could have led to the formation of an alternative government in the country. Had we achieved this, we could have halted the systematic assault on our independent institutions, democracy, and the Constitution,” Kharge said.
The Congress President stressed the importance of unity, strategic planning, and focusing on people’s issues, including economic challenges, rising unemployment, and attacks on marginalised communities.
Kharge’s address emphasised the Congress Party’s commitment to fighting against the BJP and RSS, both inside and outside Parliament. He urged District Presidents to take a crucial role in leading the party’s efforts on the ground.
“We must take this fight to the streets. District Presidents, your role is crucial. You are not just our messengers but the generals of the Congress Party, leading from the front on the ground. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi ji and I recognised the need for direct communication with you. It is essential to appoint the most capable, committed, and hardworking individuals to these positions rather than making selections based on local leaders’ recommendations,” he emphasised.
Kharge highlighted rising unemployment, skyrocketing inflation, and increasing attacks on marginalised communities.
“Unemployment is at an all-time high. Skyrocketing inflation has resulted in the lowest household savings in decades. Attacks on the poor, marginalized communities, women, and weaker sections of society are increasing,” the Congress Chief said.
Further, speaking on the “counter-tariffs”, Kharge said that countries like the USA are not only insulting our citizens but also embarrassing us by imposing counter-tariffs.
“Meanwhile, the BJP governments at the Centre and in the states remain focused on creating communal disharmony to divert public attention. These communal issues are deliberately manufactured in the media to benefit the BJP rather than the people,” he said.
The Congress President stressed the need to take the fight to the streets and ensure the discourse remains centered on people’s issues.
“Our fight is much larger! We must ensure the discourse remains centred on people’s issues. The BJP will try to distract, but You (District Committee Presidents) and Your Teams must bring the focus back to real concerns,” he said.
Kharge discussed the importance of winning elections at the state level, with a focus on unity and long-term strategy.
“Most importantly, we must remember to work in unity with a long-term strategy to win elections at the state level. Our ideology is strong, but without power, we cannot implement it,” Kharge emphasised.
The Congress National president asserted further that the Indian National Congress is the 140-year-old party that played a pivotal role in shaping modern India.
“Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Nehru, Sardar Patel, Dr Rajendra Prasad, and countless others laid the foundation of the India we see today. The independent institutions we built are now under attack by those in power over the past 11 years. Such institutions are being controlled by a handful of people with allegiance to a particular ideology,” he said.
He emphasized that the Congress’ guarantees should serve as a success tory.
Kharge also discussed the need for stronger organizational structures at the state level, ahead of upcoming elections in several states.
“Next year (March-April 2026), elections will be held in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu. It is your responsibility to ensure victory for every candidate in your district. We will work together, but you are our first line of defense on the ground. Your inputs will be crucial in planning our strategy, and we will take them into account,” Mallikarjun Kharge said.
Mallikarjun Kharge also spoke on the voter list discrepancies. He said that it is another “critical area” that requires attention.
“You must have noticed the increasing discrepancies in voter lists, particularly in Maharashtra. We have formed an EAGLE Team to cope up with this issue. The team constantly keeping an eye on the activities of the Election Commission,” he said.
“In West Bengal, the ECI itself admitted that Unique Voter IDs were not actually unique. The same Voter ID number had been issued to different individuals in different states,” he said. (ANI)
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