Presidential Election

Spokesperson: Shri Mallikarjun Kharge: He said, “As you are aware that the President of the Indian National Congress Smt. Sonia Gandhi is unwell and has had to be hospitalized.

After the notification for the Presidential elections was released, she had asked me to speak to leaders of various parties opposed to the divisive and destructive policies of the RSS/BJP to explore the possibility of a joint candidate. I had been in touch with a number of you. Now Mamata Ji has convened this meeting.

I want to right away say clearly that the Congress party will play a constructive role in ensuring that the parties assembled here this afternoon arrive at a consensus candidate in the next few days. Let us be proactive and not be reactive. The Congress Party has no particular candidate in mind. It will sit together with all of you and arrive at a candidate acceptable to all.

Such a candidate we believe should be someone committed to upholding the Constitution of India , its values, principles and provisions in letter and spirit, someone committed to guaranteeing that all institutions of our democracy function without fear or favour, someone committed to protecting the rights of all our citizens and preserving the secular fabric of our diverse society, someone committed to speaking out boldly against the forces of prejudice, hatred, bigotry and polarization and someone committed to being a powerful force for furthering social justice and empowerment.

I am aware that many of the parties around this table compete with each other in assembly elections. But that has not prevented this meeting from taking place. Each one of us has taken a larger national view and come here for a bigger cause. Let this spirit continue. Wednesday, June 15, 2022