AHMEDABAD: Senior Congress leader and candidate for the congress party’s presidential polls Mallikarjun Kharge began his multi-state tour in Ahmedabad on Friday, to gather support for his candidature in the Congress presidential poll, scheduled for October 17. Addressing a press conference in the city, he said that if he becomes the party president, he will not be remote-controlled and rather he will have the remote control in his hand.
Kharge said that there is no such thing like ‘remote control’ in Congress party unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where every president is selected through a ‘consensus’. Replying to a reporter’s question about the BJP’s claim that he would act as the “remote control” and “proxy” of Sonia Gandhi after being elected to the post, he said, “Decisions would be taken by our committee, elected members, working committee, and primary board. A lot of people say I am a remote control and work from behind. They say I will do what Sonia Gandhi says. There is no such thing as a remote control in Congress, people take decisions together. It is your thinking. A few people are creating this idea.”
He attacked the BJP for not having a culture of electing party president. “How many times has the Prime Minister taken initiative to hold the election for party president’s post? In fact, all the BJP presidents have been elected through consensus. Now, you yourself decide which party wields remote control?” he said.
He said that he would try his best to ensure that 50% of organisational posts are reserved for those below 50 years of age. He said if he becomes the party president, he would try to give representation to women, youth, Dalits, and backward classes at every level of the party, and also appeal to state units to fight polls unitedly. “I have jumped into the fray to save the ideology of my party, the ideology of Gandhi, Nehru and to strengthen the call for unity given by Sardar Patel,” he said.
Advocate of women, Dalit, OBC participation
Kharge said that if he becomes the party president, he would try to give representation to women, youth, Dalits, and backward classes at every level of the party, and also appeal to state units to fight polls unitedly. He also said that he would ensure workers below 50 get 50% party posts.