Mallikarjun Kharge formally takes charge as Congress president, his predecessor Sonia Gandhi says party will tackle challenges with unity and strength; Shashi Tharoor pledges his full support and cooperation to Mallikarjun Kharge
Mallikarjun Kharge formally takes charge as Congress president, his predecessor Sonia Gandhi says party will tackle challenges with unity and strength; Shashi Tharoor pledges his full support and cooperation to Mallikarjun Kharge
Veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge formally took over as Congress president on October 26, 2022, after he was handed over the certificate of election to the top post at a function at the AICC headquarters here.
Mr. Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the party in 24 years, had defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the president’s post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race.
Challenges aplenty for Congress president-elect Mallikarjun Kharge
Speaking at the event after he was handed over the certificate of election to the top post at a function at the AICC headquarters, Mr. Kharge said it was an emotional moment for him and he would like to thank Congress people for making a worker’s son and an ordinary worker, president of the party.
“I know it is a difficult time, efforts are being made to change democracy established by Congress,” the 80-year-old leader said after taking over as party chief.
“The Congress will break this system of lies and hatred that is prevailing in the country,” he said.
Mr. Kharge also hailed Rahul Gandhi for embarking on the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which, he said, is filling the country with a new energy.
‘Udaipur declaration will be implemented’
Mr. Kharge said the Udaipur Declaration’s proposals such as 50% party posts to be given to those below 50 years of age, filling up organisational vacancies, setting up public insight department and election management department, establishing political affairs committee in states, will be implemented.
“What kind of new India is this where youth are not getting jobs, farmers are being crushed under jeeps, atrocities taking place against women are rising, people are reeling under price rise but government is sitting with eyes closed, government is helping a few crony capitalist friends,” Mr. Kharge alleged.
“In this new India, hunger is rising, cost of education is rising, pollution is rising. The government is sleeping but ED, CBI are working for 24 hours for suppression. In this new India, Dalits, minorities and exploited people are being insulted and opportunities taken away from them…[Nathuram] Godse is called a patriot and [Mahatma] Gandhi is called a traitor, there are efforts to change Babasaheb’s Constitution and replace it with Sangh’s constitution,” Mr. Kharge alleged.
To make this new India, they want a Congress-mukt Bharat but the party will not allow this, the former Union Minister said.
Mr. Kharge was handed over the certificate of election as the Congress president by the party’s central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry.
Mr. Mistry said he hoped other parties will draw a lesson from the Congress and hold polls for party presidency by secret ballot.
Ahead of his taking over, Mr. Kharge visited Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi. He also visited the memorials of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and former deputy prime minister Jagjivan Ram, and paid tributes to the leaders.
Congress will be strengthened by Kharge’s leadership: Sonia Gandhi
The Congress faces many challenges but with unity and strength it will move forward to tackle them as it has done before, outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi said.
Speaking at an event where Mr. Kharge formally took over as the Congress president after he was handed over the certificate of election to the top post, Ms. Gandhi said she is confident that the Congress will be inspired and strengthened by his leadership.
She said it is her biggest satisfaction that the new Congress president is very experienced and has risen from being an ordinary worker to such heights through his hardwork.
Ms. Gandhi said she did her duty as Congress president to the best of her ability and was feeling relieved as she would now be free from this responsibility.
The Congress faces many challenges but with full strength and unity “we have to move forward and succeed” she said.
Tharoor pledges ‘full support’ to Kharge
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who lost out to Mr. Kharge in the party’s presidential race, pledged his full support and cooperation to the new AICC chief in taking the party forward.
Mr. Tharoor, who attended the event, in a tweet said, “Gathered for a brief chat after Kharge ji sat in his new office for a symbolic moment. Pledged him my full support & cooperation in taking Congress forward.”
He also posted a picture sitting with Mr. Kharge and Ms. Gandhi after the ceremony at the party headquarters.
Earlier, Mr. Tharoor congratulated Mr. Kharge on his official assumption of the duties of the Congress president, and wished him success.
Congress office bearers resign to enable Kharge to install new team
Soon after Mr. Kharge took over, all members of the Working Committee, general secretaries and in-charges tendered their resignations to enable the new chief to install his team.
There has been a tradition of all office bearers of the Congress resigning soon after the election of the new president.
“All the CWC members, AICC general secretaries and in-charges have tendered their resignation to Congress president,” said AICC general secretary Organisation K.C. Venugopal.
According to the Congress constitution, the election of Mr. Kharge will be ratified at the plenary session of the party which is likely to be held in March-April this year.
The new CWC, the top decision-making body of the Congress, will be reconstituted by Mr. Kharge soon after the plenary session.
According to the party Constitution, 11 members of the CWC will be nominated and 12 will be elected. Besides the leader of the party in Parliament and the Congress president will also be the members of the working committee.
However, till the time the election of Mr. Kharge is ratified, a new steering committee will be formed by the new party chief which will function as the CWC till the plenary session.