Ahmedabad, April 9, 2025:
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a fierce attack on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government during the inaugural session of the 86th All India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting, held on the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat. In his address, Kharge welcomed the Supreme Court’s order to operationalize pending bills in Tamil Nadu, calling it a “slap” on the face of the Modi government.
Kharge accused the Centre of undermining democratic values and institutions, alleging electoral malpractice in Maharashtra where, despite Congress securing the highest number of Lok Sabha seats, BJP won 138 out of 150 contested Assembly seats. “If I call this fraud, they ask for proof,” he said, warning that disillusioned youth may soon demand a return to ballot paper voting.
He charged the Modi government with fostering communal polarization, disempowering institutions like Parliament, pushing crony capitalism, privatizing public sectors, and increasing unemployment. Alleging that SC, ST, and OBC reservations are being eroded through privatization, Kharge warned, “If this continues, Modi and his government will sell the whole country and leave.”
The Congress President also criticized Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for not allowing Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, to speak in the House, despite naming him.
Kharge took aim at BJP’s claims of development beginning only after 2014, reminding the audience that it was the Congress that laid the foundation for Gandhinagar, established institutions like the Indian Institute of Management and ISRO, and initiated the White Revolution to make India self-sufficient in milk production.
In a direct message to his party colleagues, Kharge said those unwilling to take responsibility should “retire and take rest.” As part of the party’s restructuring efforts, he announced that more power would be delegated to district-level leadership.
He further accused the BJP-RSS of deliberately inciting communalism by reviving 500-year-old controversies. “Even after the RSS chief asked not to search for Shivlings under mosques, such attempts continue to divide the country,” he stated.
The session began with flag hoisting and a formal opening by AICC General Secretary (Organization) K.C. Venugopal, who outlined the event schedule. Gujarat Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil, in his welcome address, invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, affirming that while Congress may be out of power in Gujarat, the party remains ready for every political battle. He said, “The Indian National Congress can never be allowed to die.”
