I became party president due to support I received from Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi: Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that Narendra Modi could become the prime minister only because of Congress’ role in ushering in Independence and in ‘saving’ democracy. Praising the leadership of the Gandhi family members, the “elected Congress president” added he got the top party post due to the support of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a Mahila Congress event here, Kharge hit out at the PM for the latter’s frequent criticisms of the main Opposition party. “You (PM) ask what the Congress did in seventy years? We saved democracy and the Constitution, that’s why you could become the prime minister…Your party wants to beat up and send leaders to jail. If someone gives a speech or says something, then a case is registered against him,” he said.

Recalling how former PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives in service of the nation and reminding one and all of how Sonia Gandhi had “renounced” the prime ministership, Kharge said, “From 1971, I have been always winning elections for 50 years. But when I lost one election (in 2019), Sonia Gandhiji brought me to the Rajya Sabha within six months. I am grateful to her because no matter how hard one worked, it is important to have it recognised by a leader. I became party president also due to the support I received from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.”


Kharge chided the PM for not visiting Manipur even when women were being targeted and forced to flee. “Our leader Rahulji went to Manipur to see the affected people, including women. But the PM didn’t show the guts to go even after Rahul Gandhi went there”. He called upon the women of the country to be active in politics and join the efforts to defeat the Modi government in 2024 “because nobody, not women, Dalits or minorities or even youth are happy with this government”.