PATNA: Even as Congress held its first Woroing Committee in Bihar’s Patna for the first time after independence, party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday highlighted the importance of Sadakat Ashram (party’s state headquarters) in freedom struggle and said that at a time when therr us a conspiracy to remove lakhs of voters from voter rolls across thr country, it is important to hold a meeting here from where the resolution for Constituent assembly was brought and talked to prepare and adopt the Constitution to provide ‘one man, one vote’ right.
He also said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been retired has become a liability for the BJP and the countdown for the NDA in Bihar has begun.
Kharge in his opening remarks at the extended CWC meeting highlighted the importance of Sadakat Ashram and said that it has remained one of the important centre point during freedom struggle.
He said that this office, which was formed in 1921 and since then it has remained the workplace of several freedom fighters.
He asserted that tye CWC (party’s highest decision making body) meeting is taking place in Patna at time when country is facing national as well as international challenges and passing through a critical time.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kharge said that at international level the country under the Prime Minister is facing his incompetitiveness and failures of diplomacy.
The Prime Minister calls one his good friend and that the same friend js creating a lot of problems for India,” Kharge said taking a pot shot at Modi over his friendship with US President Donald Trump.
He also mentioned about the tampering of the voter list under the special intensive revision of voter rolls being done by the Election Commission and said that today, when our voter list is being officially tampered with, it is necessary that we hold our extended CWC meeting in Bihar, the mother of democracy, and reiterate our pledge to save the democracy and Constitution of this country.
“Exactly 85 years ago, the first Constituent Assembly proposal was introduced at the Ramgarh AICC session. Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr. BR Ambedkar, and members of the Constituent Assembly together granted the citizens of the country the right of ‘one person, one vote’,” he said.
Lamenting at the poll panel, Kharge said that the foundation of democracy is fair and transparent elections.
“But today, serious questions are being raised about the Election Commission’s impartiality and transparency. Revelations have surfaced in various states, and instead of answering those questions, the EC is demanding affidavits from us,” the Congress leader noted.
On the plans of EC to conduct SIR exercise across the country, Kharge said, “Following the example of Bihar, a conspiracy is now being hatched across the country to cut the votes of millions of people. Vote theft means stealing rations, pensions, medicines, children’s scholarships, and exam scores from dalits, tribals, backward classes, extremely backward classes, minorities, the weak, and the poor.
Hailing Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his voter adhikar yatra in Bihar over the issue of ‘vote chori’ and SIR, the Congress president said, “Due to the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, awareness about this spread among the people of Bihar and they openly came out in support of Rahul Gandhi.”
He also took a swipe at the Prime Minister for copying Mahatma Gandhi’s Swadeshi mantra after 100 years and said that Bapu used Swadeshi movement against British to defeat them is now remembered by Modi.
Whereas on the other hand red carpet is being rolled out for China and in last five years the import from China has grown double.
Taking on Nitish Kumar, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “BJP gave support to Nitish Kunar in 2024 and formed NDA government in the state. Nitish Kumar promised for development of the state but the Bihar’s economy lagged behind and the promise of double engine gas terribly failed and proved to be a hollow as no special package was given to the state.
Kharge said that the the unemployment rate in Bihar is above 15 per cent and every year lakhs of youths are forced to migrate.
He also highlighted that due to the recruitment scams youths are forced to come on streets to protest and then they are treated with lathis of tye police.
He also talked about the condition of farmers in Bihar and said that there condition is most miserable in the country as duento floods lakhs of farmers have to suffer lossesnin Kosi and Gandak region and the state government has completely failed in flood management.
Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister he mentioned that he on number of occasions sais to revive the sugar mills in Bihar but even after 10 years none of them have become operational and his promises have turned false.
Kharge said, “The internal fight of the NDA has now come to the fore.Nitish Kumar has been mentally retired by the BJP and the BJP has started to feel Nitish Kumar as a liability.”
He further pointed that 80 per cent of the Bihar population comprises.of thr OBC, EBC, SC and ST community and the people want transparency in caste census as well as in the reservation policies.
Kharge highlighted: “Congress and Rahul Gandhi forced thr government at the centre over the issue of caste census and it was under the Mahagatbandhan government in the state when the task of caste census was taken up.”
“I want to ask the Prime Minister that what is his compulsion that he has been able to provide 65 per cent reservation in Bihar. History is witness that 30 years ago, Congress ensured 69 per cent reservation in Tamil Nadu with constitutional guarantee. This has not been done by the double engine government in the state,” Kharge said.
Kharge also noted that the most bizarre thing was done by the Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, who considers himself the successor to the Prime Minister.
“He (Yogi Adityanath) previously wrote an article opposing reservations. Now he has banned rallies held in the name of caste,” he said.
Firi g salvos at Modi, Kharge questioned, “Will the Prime Minister tell the country that on the one hand we are all talking about conducting caste census, and on the other hand your Chief Minister is talking about putting in jail those people who come out on the streets against the injustice and atrocities being committed against them. Is this right?”
He also lamented at the NDA government in the alleging that the government and administration of Bihar have been on hiatus for a long time.
“Robberies and murders occur daily. The crime rate is steadily rising. There is a severe shortage of teachers in schools. The health system is completely collapsed, and hospitals face a severe shortage of medicines. In the event of illness, the average Bihari is either exploited by private hospitals or forced to travel outside Bihar for treatment,” he noted.
He alsosaid that the people of Bihar don’t want the BJP’s religious polarization.
“They want development-focused politics. They demand fundamental and long-term solutions from their government. They want the right to development, employment, social justice, and good governance, and this is what the Congress demands,” Kharge said, adding that Bihar has strengthened Indian democracy through its historical, social, and political contributions and its people have consistently promoted social justice and mass movements.
“They have fought for the upliftment of Dalits, tribals, backward, extremely backward, and minority communities,” he said.
Kharge said that I want to sound the bugle for Bihar’s reconstruction from here today. The Congress Party, along with its alliance partners, will provide employment, education, health, social justice, and good governance to the people of Bihar.
The people of Bihar have been dreaming of ‘Golden Bihar’ for a long time and together we will make it a reality, he said.
Kharge said: “The 2025 Assembly elections will prove to be a milestone not just for Bihar but for the entire country. This will mark the beginning of the countdown and the end of the corrupt rule of the Modi government.”
Kharge also mentioned about the economic slowdown, unemployment, polarization of society, and targeting of the institutions, as he also reminded the Prime Ministerof providing 2 crore job opportunity to youths every year.
Ge also trained his guns at the NDA government at the centre over the demonetisation, flawed GST implementation that led to derailing of the economy.
The Prime Minister realised about his mistake on GST after 8 years. GST rationalisation has been brought now which the Congress was demanding since day one, the Congress leader said.
He also said that Modi believes that the countrymen should spend more but when income has not increased in the last 10 years, only inflation has increased, then how will people spend more? The Prime Minister failed to double farmers’ income as promised. The three black laws of 2020-21 sparked protests, resulting in the death of over 750 farmers.
Kharge also alleged that along with the Modi government at the Centre, BJP governments in other states also keep looking for opportunities to create religious polarization and keep communal sentiments alive.
