Congress Party respects both the Constitution and its makers and knows how to protect it: Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge

Extracts of the Opening Remarks of the Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge at Extended CWC, Ahmedabad on April 8, 2025.

Honorable leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi Ji, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Ji, and all the members of the extended CWC, You are all welcome to today’s meeting.

This year is the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi becoming the Congress President. In December 1924, the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi became the President in the Belagavi Congress session of my home state Karnataka. We celebrated this centenary in Karnataka on 26 December.

Friends, three great personalities born on the land of Gujarat brought laurels to Congress. Dadabhai Naoroji, Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - all of them were Presidents of our Congress Party. Gandhiji gave us the weapon of truth and non-violence against injustice. This is such a strong ideological weapon that no power can withstand it. Today, attention is being diverted from the basic issues of the country by creating communal division. On the other hand, the oligarchs are on the path of controlling the government by capturing the resources of the country.

Friends, just as the Champaran Satyagraha was successful under the leadership of Gandhiji and it helped in establishing the roots of Congress in every village, similarly the Bardoli Satyagraha and other farmers’ movements led by Sardar Patel in Gujarat are immortal in history. This year on October 31 is Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary. Nehru ji used to call him the ‘Founder of India’s Unity’. We will celebrate his 150th birth anniversary with great enthusiasm across the country.

Sardar Saheb was the President of Congress. The resolutions on fundamental rights passed in Karachi Congress under his leadership are the ‘Soul’ of Indian Constitution. Sardar Patel was the Chairman of the important ‘Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribals and Excluded Areas’ of the Constituent Assembly. Friends, for the last several years, a well-planned conspiracy is being carried out regarding many national heroes.

An atmosphere is being created against the Congress Party which has a glorious history of serving and fighting for the country for 140 years. This work is being done by those people who have nothing to show as their achievements. They have nothing to show as their contribution in the freedom struggle. They conspire to show the relationship between Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru as if both the leaders were against each other. While the truth is that they were two sides of the same coin. Many incidents and documents are witness to their cordial relations.

I would like to specially mention a speech of Sardar Patel in Gujarat Vidyapeeth in 1937. During that time Nehru Ji was the President of the Congress and the youth of Gujarat wanted Nehru Ji to be invited to campaign in the provincial elections.

Sardar Patel said on March 07, 1937, “The day Gujarat proves its loyalty to the Congress by emerging victorious in this election movement, we will give a floral welcome to Congress President Nehru Ji and welcome him with open hearts.”

You can understand how much Sardar Patel loved Nehru Ji from this. On October 14, 1949, Sardar Patel said in his congratulatory message to Nehru Ji, “No one knows better than me the tireless efforts Nehru Ji has made for the country in the last two difficult years. During this time, I have seen him grow old very fast due to the burden of huge responsibilities.” These things are recorded in the public record. There was correspondence between the two almost daily. Nehru Ji used to seek his great counsel on all matters.

Nehru Ji had immense respect for Patel Sahab. If he had to seek some advice, he himself would go to Patel Ji’s house. For Patel Ji’s convenience, CWC meetings were held at his residence. Friends, Sardar Patel’s ideology was contrary to the ideas of RSS. He had even banned RSS. But it is funny how today the people of that organization claim the legacy of Sardar Patel. Gandhiji and Sardar Patel played an important role in making Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar a member of the Constituent Assembly.

Dr. Ambedkar himself said in his last speech in the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, “The Constitution could not have been made without the support of the Congress Party.” But when the Constitution was made, the RSS criticized Gandhiji, Pandit Nehru, Dr. Ambedkar and the Congress a lot. The effigies of the Constitution and these leaders were burnt at Ramlila Maidan. It was also said that the Constitution was not inspired by Manuvadi ideals.

Modi government insulted Gandhiji and Baba Saheb by removing their grand statues from the Parliament premises and shoving them into a corner. Home Minister made fun of Baba Saheb in Rajya Sabha by saying that you people keep saying Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, if you had taken the name of God so much, you would have got heaven for 7 births.

Congress Party respects both the Constitution and its makers and knows how to protect it. Sardar Patel Sahab lives in our hearts and thoughts. We are taking his legacy forward. We have organized this meeting of CWC in the Sardar Patel Museum in Ahmedabad with this thought in mind. We pay our emotional tribute to him.

Today, the people of BJP and Sangh Parivar are taking over the institutions associated with Gandhiji and handing them over to his ideological opponents. They have taken over the Sarva Seva Sangh in Varanasi too. You are all aware of what happened in Gujarat Vidyapeeth. Gandhian people and people of cooperative movement are being marginalized.

People with such thinking can steal Gandhiji’s glasses and stick. But they can never follow his ideals. Gandhiji’s ideological legacy is the real capital which only the Congress Party has. Gujarat is the top state from which Congress has received maximum power in its 140 years of history. Today, we have come here again to take inspiration and strength. Our real strength lies in the unity and integrity of our country and the ideology of social justice.

But today, to take that ideology forward it is necessary that we first strengthen ourselves. Strengthen our organization. Finally, I will end my talk with a quote from Sardar Patel.

He had said, “Numbers are useless without organization. Numbers are not real strength without organization. It is one thing that the threads of cotton remain separate. But when they gather in large numbers, they take the form of a cloth. Then their strength, beauty and utility become amazing.”

Tomorrow in the Congress session, we will get a chance to say and listen to many things. We will discuss the challenges before the Party and also find a way for the future. In this meeting, the draft of the proposals prepared for the Ahmedabad session is being shared with you. All of you are invited to express your views on this. Give original suggestions. Solutions emerge only through dialogue. With this, I end my speech. Thank you all.

Jai Hind! Jai Congress!