Mallikarjun Kharge ‘taunts’ Shashi Tharoor, says ‘I don’t have any manifesto like others’

In an apparent reference to Thiruvananthapuram MP Sashi Tharoor, who laid down the challenge to him in the fight for the party’s top spot, Kharge said, “I don’t have any manifesto like others. I have only one manifesto that is the Congress manifesto. That is the Udaipur declaration made 4 months ago will be implemented if I am elected.”

Earlier this month, Tharoor released his manifesto and stated that his message was to resurrect the party, re-energise it, empower workers, decentralise authority, and be in touch with the people. He did this while launching his election campaign for Tamil Nadu at Sathyamurthy Bhavan, the Congress State headquarters.

“This, I believe, will make Congress politically fit to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP in the 2024 general election,” Tharoor had said during his interaction with media persons.

The two candidates are running a loud campaign ahead of the election on 17 October. In his lengthy political career, Kharge asserted that he never lost an election and that the party’s members and the leadership both firmly support him.

Highlights of Udaipur declaration

Earlier in May, the Congress party had adopted the Udaipur declaration on the final day of the three-day Chitan Shivir in Udaipur.

In its political resolution, the Congress declared that it would fight against any attempts to undermine the fundamental principles of the constitution by including members of all societal groups in the party. The Chinese invasion of Indian territory was also mentioned in the resolution.

As part of organisational restructuring, the party decided to establish a public insight group, an election management committee, and a political affairs committee in the states.

The “one family, one ticket” decision was also approved by the party, but the higher age group cap was not included in the final resolution.

The party asserted that, contrary to what some leaders have claimed, its core ideologies have not been compromised and that it will challenge the BJP on social and economic fronts.

Sonia Gandhi, the acting president of the Congress, announced the “Bharat Jodo” padyatra, which commenced on 2 October.

(With inputs from PTI)