Don't fight among yourselves: Kharge tells Congress cadre

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge attends the Leadership Development Mission (LDM) workshop at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Credit: PTI Photo

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that despite certain colleagues "joining forces with the BJP to defeat" him during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he gave tickets to them for the recent Karnataka polls in order to secure the party's victory.

Kharge wants party workers to follow his path by being accommodative and not working to defeat a colleague in the hope that his downfall would give them an opportunity. He said a little patience would always help, as opportunities would come their way as was his case.

Also Read | Karnataka BJP protests against Congress's 'failure' to fulfill poll 'guarantees'

He was addressing the party’s Leadership Development Mission workshop in which delegates chosen from SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities from various states attended.

Making oneself “relevant and inevitable” and not acting like a dependent was his first advice to the delegates, who were chosen as part of the exercise to identify grassroots leaders from underprivileged communities. He told them none would give them any respect if they act subservient to a leader.

“If the organisation feels you are always ahead in helping the party, getting community votes transferred, no leader can afford to ignore you. We have to promote leadership, but that does not mean you start fighting with local leadership and complain against them,” he said.

He said they should not fight against each other, as many try to run down the other, thinking they could get a chance in future, he said adding, he has seen this attitude in Karnataka as well.

“Many (Congress) people worked with the BJP to defeat me (in Kalaburgi Lok Sabha seat)...In the Karnataka elections, I gave tickets to all those who worked to defeat me because even if 10 votes go, the party can be defeated. I told them, you worked to defeat me. I don’t want to be defeated for a second time,” he said.

He said the BJP-RSS could not have defeated him but his colleagues supported them for some reason. “I told them you did not support me, it is okay but I am supporting you because I want to bring Congress back to power,” he said.

Quoting Jawaharlal Nehru, he said undesirable elements joining the party could be detrimental to the interests of the organisation.