Bhupen Goswami
Guwahati: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge today launched a scathing attack on BJP in Guwahati, saying the ruling party was carrying out a “Bharat Todo” exercise in the country. Kharge was in Guwahati to campaign for the upcoming Congress national president election. Voting for the post of Congress president will be held on October 17 and the results will be declared on October 19. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Shashi Tharoor are the candidates for the speaker’s post. Both leaders are campaigning for themselves in different states. In this sequence, Mallikarjun Kharge is present in Assam and is appealing to PCC office bearers to vote for themselves.
He alleged that the BJP was constantly instigating fights between communities, religions etc. “Democratic institutions are under threat from the ruling party and they are also weakening the Constitution of the country. He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his desperation to campaign for the party.The senior Congress leader alleged that the BJP was trying to break the Congress in almost every state. “They broke our government in at least 6-7 states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Arunachal etc. In Gujarat, we gave them a strong fight in the last assembly elections but there too the BJP tried to do the same. When no party MLA or MP falls into their trap, the BJP uses the ED, or the CBI, against them or lures opposition leaders by promising some big responsibilities. This is a complete insult to democracy. (Pandit Jawaharlal) Nehru ji was the Prime Minister for so long but he never did such malicious things instead he showed respect to opposition party leaders.Mallikarjun Kharge said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had called him to her house and asked him to take over the responsibility of the post of Congress President.
“I believe in consultation and collective leadership and not in those who follow me. “People should walk with me and together we will work to strengthen the organisational structure of the party,” he said. Mallikarjun Kharge said that he told Sonia Gandhi that I can suggest three names but she said that she is not asking for names but asking me to lead the party. Kharge said he agreed to contest the polls as no member of the Gandhi family was ready to take over as party president. Mallikarjun Kharge said that these elections are being held because both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had promised a democratic process in which representatives had to elect the president.
