Mallikarjun Kharge officially takes over as Congress chief, slams BJP’s ‘new India’ in inaugural address

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge formally took charge as Congress president on Wednesday after defeating party presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor by over 6,000 votes last week. Kharge is the first non-Gandhi to take over the office after 24 years. In his inaugural speech, the 80-year-old leader launched an attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said 'democratic values' established by Congress were being altered. “It is a difficult time, efforts are being made to change democracy established by Congress," he said. "The Congress will break this system of lies and hatred that is prevailing in the country," he added. 

Kharge, who spoke after outgoing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, criticised BJP's ‘new India’ model, and questioned “what kind of new India is this where people are unemployed…violence against women is rising…criminals are respected” and added that in this ‘new India’ the government has turned a blind eye while common people are suffering due to inflation.  

Kharge also spoke about the current problems of falling rupee, increasing poverty and pollution, and costlier education, while pointing out recent ED and Income Tax raids conducted on opposition parties. 

“In this new India, hunger is rising, the cost of education is rising, and pollution is rising. The government is sleeping but ED, CBI are working 24 hours for suppression. In this new India, Dalits, minorities, and exploited people are being insulted and opportunities taken away from them...(Nathuram) Godse is called a patriot and (Mahatma) Gandhi is called a traitor, there are efforts to change Babasaheb's Constitution and replace it with Sangh's constitution," Kharge alleged. 

Kharge praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his Bharat Jodo Yatra and said that it is filling the country with new energy. 

At the inaugural ceremony, Kharge was given a certificate of election as the Congress president by the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry.

Outgoing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said that she is relieved to hand over the charge to Kharge. 

"I did my duty to the best of my ability. Today, I will be freed of this responsibility. A weight is off my shoulder. I feel a sense of relief," Gandhi said. “This was a big responsibility. The responsibility is now on Mallikarjun Kharge,” she added.