JUNAGADH (Gujarat): Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge emphasised and underlined the need for strengthening the Party at the grassroots level. He also called for discipline, dedication and ideological commitment to strengthen the Party.

The Congress Party signalled a renewed confidence in its Gujarat strategy as it kicked off the second phase of its ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’ with a ten-day training programme for District Presidents and office-bearers in Junagadh.

Inaugurating the training camp of the District Congress Committee Presidents of Gujarat in Junagadh on September 10, 2025, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said, 2025 marks 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi taking over as the President of the Indian National Congress, as he had become the Congress President in 1925 during its Belagavi session. Congress President emphaised that we declared 2025 as the year of organisation building and then held the AICC session in Ahmedabad and there too you made it successful by making very good arrangements. So, I thank all of you again. Why did you choose Gujarat for organisation building? This is the holy land of Gandhiji, Sardar Patel and Dadabhai Naoroji. Before the Constitution was made, Gandhiji had said - it is the job of the Congress to uplift those who are down. Everyone has to be brought to an equal position and this was Gandhiji’s thinking and that is why we are starting this from Gandhiji’s state itself... this is an auspicious sign. So that is why this training holds great importance.

He further saidGandhi Ji and Nehru Ji used to say that whoever has to work should be trained properly and Sardar Patel also believed that without organization, numbers are useless. He used to emphasize on unity and discipline. Nehru Ji’s thinking was - No party can continue to function unless it reorientates itself by making adjustments……We have to move with time and we should have the ability to work with time. That is why Junagadh, which is our district unit, should work, communicate and especially what is the condition of our people at the booth level in the voter lists? What is the condition of the voter list? Because what Rahul ji fought for, today the Supreme Court has also accepted that all the documents... all 12 documents will be accepted to get the name included in the voter list. How did you get this? You got this by fighting.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress President told the Gujarat leaders that their state once gave the country two great leaders, referring to Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, who gave us freedom and united the country and its people. “Now you have given two more leaders, Modi and Shah, who are trying to take away freedom and divide the country”, he remarked.

The Congress President stated that the BJP government was continuously attacking the Constitution of the country and right to vote, which had been provided by the Congress Party. He referred to the growing inequality in the country and said that the poor, labourers, farmers, women and youth have all been ignored by the BJP governments at the Centre and the states. Referring to the vote-theft resorted to by the BJP, which has been exposed now, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said, even in Gujarat, the BJP had been stealing elections as had been revealed by the state Congress leaders.

Referring to Congress history, he said that there were three main phases since 1885. First phase, he said, was between 1885 and 1947 during which the Congress launched the struggle for the freedom of the country and finally got it.

Second phase, he added, was the post-independent era during which the Congress strengthened democracy, gave the Constitution to the country and ushered in all-round progress. He said, since 2014, the Congress has been playing the role of an effective and strong opposition from streets to the Parliament. He referred to the four ‘yatras’ taken out by Rahul Gandhi, saying they created awareness across the country. He said, if the BJP is running the government with crutches today, it is due to these yatras only.

Taking a dig at Modi, he said, while China had attacked our army and intruded into our country, he (Modi) was roaming in China and had even claimed that no intrusion had taken place. He said, Modi begins and ends his speeches by targeting the Congress as he tries to find an excuse for his own failures. He added that Modi does this as he knows only the Congress can defeat him. Underlining the importance of the position of a DCC President, he said, some of the towering leaders of the Congress like Purushottam Das Tandon, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Govind Ballabh Pant had once served as DCC Presidents.

He also announced that October 31 this year marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, which will be celebrated across the country. He asked the Gujarat leaders to organise celebrations at the district level across the state.

Congress President requested them and said- There is a movement of our Rahul Gandhi ji and this fight of ours is also for the farmers, for the workers, for the Dalits and for the minorities and for saving the Constitution and for strengthening Democracy. So, you will be committed to this and will bring this thing in practice. I have full faith in this and it is your duty to protect this land especially Gujarat and the Constitution, Democracy and freedom that the people of Gujarat have given us in Gujarat.

The training initiative is part of a wider organisational drive launched after Congress declared 2025 as the year to build the organisation. The participants were made aware in detail about the roles played by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru in the freedom struggle and later on in shaping the country. Patel’s views on organisational strength were also recalled, particularly his belief that numerical strength was meaningless without unity and structure. Nehru’s conviction that very Party must periodically reorient itself to match the pace of national developments was presented as a guiding principle for today’s Congress.

The leaders urged attendees to prepare for the road ahead with patience, discipline, and determination, promising organizational support at every level. In the coming months, Congress will also launch national celebrations to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel starting October 31, he said.

AICC General Secretary (O) Shri K.C. Venugopal, General Secretary

In-charge Gujarat Shri Mukul Wasnik, AICC In-charge Training Shri Sachin Rao, Gujarat PCC President Shri Amit Chawda, Gujarat CLP leader Shri Tushar Chowdhary, AICC Members, PCC Members, Elected DCC Presidents and Gujarat PCC Office-bearers were present.

PM’s Manipur visit good, not a big deal ‘Vote Chori’ main issue before country today: Shri Rahul Gandhi

Junagadh: Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi on September 12, 2025, said Manipur has been in trouble for a long time, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the strife-torn state now is good, not a big deal, but “vote chori” (vote theft) remains the main issue before the country currently. The election mandates in Haryana and Maharashtra were stolen... People everywhere are saying ‘Vote Chor’.

Shri Rahul Gandhi was on a one-day visit to Gujarat to address the newly appointed District Presidents of the state Congress as part of the initiative to restructure the Party from the grassroots level. The 41 City and District Presidents are attending a ten-day training programme at Junagadh. Shri Rahul Gandhi’s long interactive session with the district Presidents, apart from GPCC President Shri Amit Chavda, Gujarat CLP leader Shri Tushar Chaudhary and Shri Lalji Desai were present.

Pointing out that the people of India are keenly watching the experiment in Gujarat, Shri Rahul has reportedly asked the Presidents to set examples during their tenure. This was Shri Gandhi’s fifth visit to Gujarat in the past six months, signifying the Congress’ seriousness about the state where it has been out of power for almost three decades. His message this time was sharper than during his last visit to Anand on July 26: weed out the weak and prepare for war. Congress Party in Gujarat is now gearing up for a direct face-off with the BJP.