The Congress party wants alliances with other like-minded parties but first wants to make Congress stronger, said Congress MP and the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. He added, ‘We want to put our house in order and make Congress stronger. If we don't have money, how can we expect others (alliance partners) to come and invest?’
Kharge was addressing a press conference in Udaipur on Friday ahead of the party’s three-day Chintan Shivir. On the question of alliance with other parties, the Congress veteran said: ‘We want to take all parties on board but it can only happen if they have similar ideologies, belief in the social fabric and democratic values.’
Malikarjun Kharge is heading a panel on political issues and lists out the issues that have been discussed by the panel. Kharge also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the Constitution is being destroyed by the ruling party. ‘Constitutional values are under threat. Institutional autonomy is being harmed. Federalism is being attacked on several fronts, be it economic or religious,’ he said.
He also reiterated the concern that has been vocalized by several opposition parties in the recent past, saying, "Probe agencies are being misused. People who are speaking out, people who are reporting are being silenced using state agencies,” he said.
Kharge said ‘I don’t understand why Modi Ji never comes in front of the press. They try to stifle dissent. We need to protect the right to free speech.’
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)