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New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday on the occasion of the 141st foundation say of the party called upon the party leaders for a united fight to save the democracy in the country, as he said the ruling BJP claiming that those whose ancestors played no role in the freedom movement are now engaged in snatching away people’s rights.
Addressing the Foundation Day function of the Indian National Congress here for the first time at the new party headqiarters Indira Bhawan, Kharge said that those who think that the Congress is “finished” must know that “our spine is still straight” though the party may not be in power.
He pointed out that Congress has not compromised with the Constitution, secularism and rights of the poor.
Kharge said, “We may not be in power, but we will not bargain. Congress has never sought votes in the name of religion…never spread hatred between temples and mosques. The Congress unites. The BJP divides. The Congress kept religion as faith, but some people turned religion into politics.”
“This fight is not merely electoral. It is a battle for the soul of India. If Congress does not fight, who will protect the Constitution and democracy?” he asked.
Kgarge alleged that in the past 11 years, the BJP government has changed many laws to benefit a handful of capitalists.
“MGNREGA has been destroyed. The looting of water, forests, and land continues. The government is playing with fake figures and, to hide the truth, has not conducted the Census even till now,” he said.
He appealed to the Congress workers across the country to unite and launch a mass movement to protect and restore MGNREGA, calling it a vital lifeline for the poor and vulnerable. He urged workers to reach out to people with the spirit of the Dandi March and the Bharat Jodo movement.
Recalling the party’s legacy since its founding on December 28, 1885, Kharge paid tributes to freedom fighters and Congress leaders who sacrificed for India’s Independence and later laid the foundations of a strong democratic Constitution. He said the Congress would continue to work to realise the vision of those leaders.
The Congress president said India’s survival as the world’s largest democracy was due to the vision and sacrifices of Congress leaders, contrasting it with several post-colonial nations that slid into dictatorship.
He highlighted the party’s role in nation-building, citing achievements ranging from the Green and White Revolutions to advances in space, nuclear science, information technology and economic reforms.
Kharge also recalled the UPA era under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, noting that landmark rights-based legislations such as RTI, MGNREGA, Right to Education, Food Security, Forest Rights and land acquisition reforms earned global recognition.
He criticised the RSS and BJP, alleging that their leaders historically opposed the Constitution, the tricolour, Ashoka Chakra and “Vande Mataram”, and were now attempting to roll back rights won through decades of sacrifice. “Those whose forefathers had no role in the freedom struggle are today trying to snatch people’s rights,” he alleged.
Referring to key milestones, Kharge noted that 2025 marked the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi becoming Congress president and the 75th year of the Constitution, while 2026 will mark the 200th birth anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji and the centenary of Sarojini Naidu’s Congress presidency.
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