Hyderabad: Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for constantly bringing up the Emergency imposed in 1975 while ignoring the authoritarian tendencies of its own decade-long rule at the Centre.

“BJP leaders love to talk about an Emergency that was imposed 50 years ago, but they turn a blind eye to the emergency-like conditions they have imposed on the country in the last 11 years,” he said. Addressing the Congress Party workers’ convention in Hyderabad on 4, July, 2025, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge addressed over 12,000 Congress workers, important leaders, and Presidents of gram panchayat, mandal, and district-level PCC committees at LB Stadium, kick-starting campaign for forthcoming panchayat polls. The state govt. is planning to go for rural local body elections in mid-August, subject to the court directions on the BC reservations in local bodies.

Congress President challenged the RSS and the BJP to drop the words ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ from the Constitution

Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, challenged the RSS and the BJP to drop the words ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ from the Constitution of the country as suggested by a senior RSS leader recently. He said, come what may, the Congress will never let that happen at any cost.

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge reminded the BJP that it had reaffirmed its faith in secularism and socialism in its own constitution. “If you don’t have faith in these things, why have you mentioned these in your party’s constitution?” he asked the BJP leaders while quoting the party’s constitution.

Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge took Prime Minister Narendra Modi to task over the developments taking place in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. He pointed out, the entire opposition including the Congress stood by the government in the interest of the country and still the government did not come up to the nation’s expectations. He pointed out, Modi says often in his speeches that we will take back the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). “Why did you not take it this time when you got the chance?” he asked Modi, adding, “who stopped you?”

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge also referred to US President Donald Trump’s oft-repeated claims that he mediated the ceasefire. “Modi should say- who is Trump, we don’t accept any mediation”, he observed, while adding, but Modi is maintaining a silence.

He recalled how the former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi stood up against the US intimidation during the 1971 War and was not deterred by the Seventh Fleet. She broke Pakistan into two pieces, he pointed out.

He said that the Congress had a history of sacrifices with its leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi laying down their lives for the nation. “Has anyone from the RSS or the BJP sacrificed his life for the country?” he asked, while adding, “they had no role in the freedom struggle, nor are they doing anything worthwhile for the country now.”

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge also congratulated the Telangana government for its caste survey. He said it was being nationally recognised and Rahul Gandhi had also praised it. He said that the Congress would like to adopt the same model across the country.

He said - the Congress had a special relationship with the people of Telangana, pointing out, it was Smt. Sonia Gandhi who had granted their long-pending demand and aspiration for their own state. Shri Mallikarjun Kharge listed several achievements of the Congress government in Telangana, including free bus travel for women, free electricity, special assistance worth Rs. 8,265 crores for farmers among other things.

Besides, he added, the Telangana government and other Congress-led state governments across the country will enact a law in the name of Rohit Vemula providing protection to students against caste discrimination.

Congress President pushes for 42% BC quota before Telangana local body polls

Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge stressed that upcoming local body elections in the state must be conducted only after ensuring 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs), as promised by the Party.

Congress President also attended, the Political Affairs Committee, Political Advisory Committee, and the PCC Executive Committee, where he discussed with the state leadership about the current political situation, implementation of SC categorisation, caste census report, among other issues. Chief Minister Shri A Revanth Reddy along with TPCC President Shri Mahesh Kumar Goud, AICC in-charge Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan and other senior leaders participated.

Congress will ‘fight tooth and nail’ against attempts to change Constitution: Congress President

Bengaluru: Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge on June 30, 2025, said that the Party will fight tooth and nail if any word is touched in the Constitution. He was reacting to RSS Dattatreya Hosabale’s call to remove the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble.

Speaking to the media persons at his house in Bengaluru, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge called Hosabale “a man of Manusmriti.” “He doesn’t want the poor class people to come up. And what was practised thousands of years ago, he wants the same to continue. That’s why he doesn’t like socialism, secularism and liberty, equality and fraternity,” the Congress President said.

Congress President stressed that this is not only Hosabale’s line, but that of the RSS. Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said, “RSS is always against the poor people, the downtrodden and Scheduled Caste and other communities. If they are so interested, they could have removed untouchability. They claim they are the champions of the Hindu religion. If they are so, they should remove untouchability.” The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also said that RSS should deploy all its volunteers to make sure untouchability is removed and keep the country united. “Instead of that, simply talking, making noise and creating confusion in the country—that is very bad, and we are against it. The Party will fight tooth and nail if any word is touched in the Constitution,” said Congress President.

Change of guard in Karnataka: Kharge says only high command will take a call

Amid speculations within the Karnataka Congress over a possible change of guard in the government, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said that it is the Party high command that has to take a call on such decisions. Responding to a pointed query about statements from some quarters pertaining to a possible change of Chief Minister, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Any such decisions are in the hands of the Party high command and nobody can say here what is going on at the level of the high command.”