Kharge vows to bolster UPA as he takes over as Congress President

Refers to his own humble beginnings and struggles in maiden speech, dwells on Babasaheb Ambedkar's role in bringing India together

In his first speech after he officially became Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge acknowledged the party was facing a difficult time and people had turned away from it. But he launched a frontal attack on ‘divisive forces’ and said: "Congress will break the circle of lies, hatred prevailing currently. My appeal goes out to people not aligned with the party but who want to save democracy, to join hands." In this he pledged, as president of the Congress, to strengthen and grow the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), a project that has suffered a setback as Congress units in the states are fearful of rivals like the Aam Aadmi Party and the Trinamool Congress.

A delegate invited to the function to which all state and district Congress chiefs were invited, said the function was ‘excellent’ and that he detected a new unity of purpose in the party.

Kharge’s speech referred to his own humble beginnings and his struggles in life. "This is an emotional moment for me, I want to thank Congress people for making a worker's son, an ordinary worker, the president of Congress. It is a matter of pride to carry forward the legacy of the Congress,” he said in his address. “I started this journey in 1969 as a block committee chief. Today you have taken it to such heights. It is my privilege and pride to take forward the legacy of Congress. The great political party which was led by Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Maulana Azad, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Indiraji, Rajivji. It is a matter of privilege and pride for me to handle that responsibility,"he said

He referred repeatedly to the contributions made by Babasaheb Ambedkar in bringing India together. He mocked the efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its alliance partners in seeking to establish a new India. "In New India, hunger, pollution are increasing but the rupee is falling. The government is sleeping but the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax Department are working 24 hours. In new India, Godse is called a patriot and  Mahatma Gandhi is an anti-national. They want to bring in the constitution of RSS".

Kharge did not refer to the travails of minority communities directly. But he did not fail to praise Sonia Gandhi's contribution in running the party and Rahul Gandhi for embarking on the Bharat Jodo Yatra and said that his yatra is infusing the country with new energy.  

Kharge also pledged to translate the Congress' commitment at the Udaipur conclave to fill up 50 per cent of all party positions with people below 50.

In a brief speech, outgoing president Sonia Gandhi said it was a source of great satisfaction that the new Congress president is “very experienced and has risen from being an ordinary worker to such heights through his hard work”. She said she was confident the Congress would be inspired and strengthened by his leadership. “I did my duty as Congress president to the best of my ability and am feeling relieved as I will now be free from this responsibility” she said. The other former president on the podium, Rahul Gandhi did not make a speech. But Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that when efforts to ‘convince Rahul Gandhi that he should become president failed, Kharge became president”. But pledged to work with the new president.

Soon after Kharge took over as the new Congress president, all members of the Working Committee, general secretaries and in-charges tendered their resignations to enable the new chief to install his team.

"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 Kharge will be ratified at the plenary session of the party which is likely to be held in March-April next year. The new CWC, the top decision-making body of the Congress, will be reconstituted by 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. Till the time the election of 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.