Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said the role of district presidents are crucial as they are not just messengers, but generals of the party, who are leading from the front on ground.

He also called upon the Congress’ district presidents to work in unity with a long-term strategy to win elections at the state level.

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Addressing the first leg of the meeting with District Congress Committee presidents, ahead of the upcoming AICC session in Gujarat, in presence of Leader of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and senior party leaders including KC Venugopal, at the Indira Bhawan, he said, “District presidents, your role is crucial. You are not just our messengers, but the generals of the Congress party, leading from the front on the ground. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi ji and I recognised the need for direct communication with you.”

He said it is essential to appoint the most capable, committed, and hardworking individuals to these positions rather than making selections based on local leaders’ recommendations.

“Most importantly, we must remember to work in unity with a long-term strategy to win elections at the state level. Our ideology is strong, but without power, we cannot implement it,” the Congress chief said.

District Congress committee presidents from 13 states and three Union territories participated in the meeting.

Referring to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Kharge said, “INDIA parties fought unitedly against the BJP alliance, restricting them to 240 seats. Our ‘Save Constitution’ campaign exposed BJP-RSS’ secret desire to change the Constitution. Today, BJP is short of majority and dependent on two allies. A Prime Minister who arrogantly claimed 400 seats was dealt a significant blow by us.”

“The Congress party secured almost 100 seats. If we had worked harder, we could have gained 20-30 more seats. A gain of such seats could have led to the formation of an alternative government in the country. Had we achieved this, we could have halted the systematic assault on our independent institutions, democracy, and the Constitution,” he said.

Asserting that the battle against the BJP and RSS continues both inside and outside the Parliament, he called upon them to take this fight to the streets.

Attacks on the poor, marginalized communities, women, and weaker sections of society are increasing, he alleged.

“In foreign affairs, countries like the USA are not only insulting our citizens, but also embarrassing us by imposing counter-tariffs. The BJP governments at the Centre and in the states remain focused on creating communal disharmony to divert public attention. These communal issues are deliberately manufactured in the media to benefit BJP rather than the people. The BJP will try to distract, but You and Your Teams must bring the focus back to real concerns,” he said.

The Congress president also reiterated the demand for a caste census to restore social justice.

Kharge also slammed the ruling dispensation over unemployment, inflation, alleged discrepancies in voter lists, particularly in Maharashtra.

“You must take our message to every household. We will fight and establish a government across the country that prioritizes the people and their issues, our democracy, and our Constitution,” he said.

In his address, the Leader of Opposition also emphasized on the strengthening the party at the grassroot-level

During the meeting, they also listened to two-three District Presidents from each state and their suggestions. It was also decided to economically empower the District Congress Committees (DCCs).