At the 84th AICC national convention held in Ahmedabad, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing critique of the BJP and RSS, accusing them of diverting public attention from real national issues by fostering communal divisions.
“In today’s India, basic issues like unemployment, inflation, and inequality are being sidelined deliberately,” Kharge said in his opening address. “Instead, communal polarization is being promoted, and the nation’s resources are being cornered by oligarchic monopolies.”
Kharge alleged that a systematic conspiracy is underway to rewrite history, distort the legacy of national heroes, and discredit the Congress party, which he said has a 140-year history of fighting for the country.
He pointed specifically to the false portrayal of relations between Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, calling it an intentional distortion by the BJP. “They want to show Nehru and Patel were rivals. In truth, they were colleagues and comrades, deeply respectful of each other,” he stated, citing speeches and letters between the two leaders as proof of their close collaboration.
Highlighting the RSS’s ideological opposition to Patel, Kharge reminded the audience that Patel himself had banned the RSS after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. “It is ironic that the same forces now try to claim his legacy,” he added.
Kharge also announced that the Congress will celebrate Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary with great enthusiasm, recalling his pivotal role in unifying India and laying the foundation of the Constitution.
He did not hold back in his criticism of the Modi government, accusing it of insulting Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar by shifting their statues to corners of Parliament and undermining their values. He took aim at Home Minister Amit Shah, condemning his controversial remarks in Parliament about Ambedkar.
“The BJP talks of legacy, but burned the Constitution and effigies of its creators. They can steal Gandhiji’s stick and glasses, but not his ideals,” Kharge said. “Congress is the true custodian of Gandhiji’s vision, of Patel’s unity, and of Ambedkar’s Constitution.”
Kharge concluded by invoking the contributions of Dadabhai Naoroji, Gandhi, and Patel — all hailing from Gujarat — and called the state a source of strength and inspiration for Congress. “We have returned to Gujarat not just to meet, but to recommit to our ideals and draw strength from our roots,” he said.
The convention, held at Sardar Patel Museum, serves as a symbolic assertion of the Congress party’s claim over the ideological legacy of India’s founding leaders amid rising political polarization.
