New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in his Independence Day speech attacked the Modi government for ‘threatening democracy, the Constitution and traditions’, while also listing the contributions of former Congress prime ministers — from Nehru to Manmohan Singh — to “nation building”.
“Nation building is a continuous process. Great leaders of our Independence, former prime ministers and people of India have achieved this with their contribution. These days, some people show that India has not progressed in the last many years. That is wrong,” he said, speaking after hoisting the tricolour at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.
Kharge harked back to the time when the British left India to say that “not even a needle was manufactured here” then. “At that time, Pandit Nehru, set up big industries, set up steel plants, public sector (institutions), and created jobs for the youth,” he said.
अंग्रेजी सरकार ने भारत की स्थिति ऐसी कर दी थी कि यहां सुई भी नहीं बनती थी।
तब पंडित नेहरू जी ने यहां बड़े-बड़े उद्योग खुलवाए, स्टील प्लांट लगवाए और डैम बनवाए।
IIT, IIM, AIIMS जैसे संस्थानों की शुरुआत हुई। स्पेस रिसर्च और एटमिक एनर्जी रिसर्च की नींव रखी गई।
: स्वतंत्रता दिवस… pic.twitter.com/Whk25cki9o
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 15, 2023
He added that India’s first prime minister set up multiple hydroelectric plants, IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, and the National Institute of Design (NID), besides laying the foundation for space and atomic research in the country.
Former prime ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi too found mention in Kharge’s speech for making India ‘Aatmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) by ushering in the white and green revolutions. “Under the leadership of Indira Gandhi ji, India altogether changed the map of the world and helped Bangladesh win its freedom,” he said.
The Congress president also lauded former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for preparing India for the Information Technology (IT) age, besides facilitating the Assam Accord (1985), the Mizo Accord (1986) and the Punjab Accord (1985). In his speech, Kharge also mentioned the Shillong Accord (1975) signed during Indira Gandhi’s time as an achievement.
“P.V. Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh, together, by leading economic liberalisation in 1991, joined the country with the world and strengthened the economy,” Kharge said.
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‘Voice of Oppn being suppressed’
After listing the achievements of former Congress prime ministers, Kharge trained his guns on the Modi government.
“I am in pain while saying this that today loktantra, Samvidhan aur sanskar (democracy, the Constitution and traditions) are all being threatened. In Parliament, by suspending opposition MPs, its (the Opposition’s) voice is being suppressed,” he said.
Referring to the recently-concluded monsoon session of Parliament, Kharge said when he got up to speak in the Upper House, his “mic was switched off”.
“Ek taraf hum loktantra ka dhol bajate hain, doosri taraf hamara mooh band karte hain (On the one hand, we boast of democracy and on the other, our mouths are sealed shut),” said the Congress president, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
He added that democracy and the Constitution “are the soul of our nation”.
लोकतंत्र और संविधान हमारे देश की आत्मा है।
इस स्वतंत्रता दिवस पर हम यह प्रण लेते हैं कि हम देश की एकता और अखंडता के लिए, प्रेम और भाईचारे के लिए, सौहार्द और सद्भाव के लिए लोकतंत्र और संविधान की स्वतंत्रता कायम रखेंगे।
: स्वतंत्रता दिवस पर कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री @kharge pic.twitter.com/hqyBsXlD1p
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 15, 2023
Ending his speech with a veiled reference to INDIA — the 26-party alliance of parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — Kharge gave out the slogan: “Judega Bharat, jeetega INDIA (India will come together, INDIA will win).”
Several other Congress leaders including former party president Rahul Gandhi, national general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar were among those present there.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)