DEHRADUN: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday sounded the party’s poll bugle for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly election, promising merit-based recruitment and attacking the BJP over unemployment and alleged political defections.
Addressing a public meeting at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, Kharge said a Congress government would ensure that young people got jobs “without corruption or recommendations”. He alleged that recruitment under the BJP government was influenced by money and promised appointments strictly on merit.
Kharge also highlighted Uttarakhand’s military legacy, recalling the Kumaon and Garhwal regiments and Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Somnath Sharma.
Targeting the BJP and the RSS, Kharge alleged that they had made no contribution to the freedom struggle. “Congress fought for Independence, and its leaders and workers made sacrifices for the country,” he said, adding that Congress workers and people of Uttarakhand would not be intimidated or bow to political pressure.
On unemployment, Kharge claimed that nearly 30 lakh government posts were vacant despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise of creating two crore jobs annually. “The country’s youth are unemployed. The Prime Minister must be questioned about his promise,” he said.
Kharge contrasted the BJP’s record with that of the former Manmohan Singh government, saying the Congress-led government had fulfilled its promise to waive farm loans. “Congress does what it says,” Kharge asserted. He said the BJP lacked a vision for public welfare and claimed the Congress would work to fulfil people’s aspirations.
The Congress president also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of engineering defections by Opposition leaders facing corruption allegations. He alleged that politicians accused of wrongdoing were given a “clean chit” after joining the BJP.
“They call people corrupt and then induct the same people into the BJP,” Kharge said, reiterating the Congress’s “washing machine” charge.
Kharge also spoke about his political career, saying he had spent 58 years in public life and risen through the Congress organisation from block-level responsibilities to the party’s highest office.
He urged Congress workers to remain united, strengthen the organisation and take the party’s message to every section of society ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.