Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government and the RSS, accusing them of disregarding national symbols such as the Constitution, the Ashoka Chakra and Vande Mataram. He claimed BJP had no connection with India’s freedom movement.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP in the Lok Sabha and party leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, AICC General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal, and others during the flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 140th Foundation Day of the party, at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, Sunday, December 28, 2025. (Photo: IANS/Wasim Sarvar)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government and the RSS, accusing them of disregarding national symbols such as the Constitution, the Ashoka Chakra and Vande Mataram. He claimed BJP had no connection with India’s freedom movement. He said, “RSS-BJP leaders have disregarded the national flag, Constitution, Ashoka Chakra, and Vande Mataram. They suppress people’s rights, have no connection to the freedom movement, and today are taking away the rights of the people.”
#WATCH | Delhi: Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge says, “… During Sonia Gandhi’s presidency of Congress, the UPA government expanded protection of people’s rights… When Dr Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, RTI, RTE, Food Security, MGNREGA, Forest Rights and… pic.x.com/QBvN454Yyf
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— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2025
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He was speaking at the flag-hoisting ceremony at the party headquarters, Indira Bhawan in Delhi, as the party marked its 140th Foundation Day.
Kharge accused BJP and RSS of weakening democratic institutions and suppressing people’s rights. He contrasted the current government’s record with that of the Congress-led UPA. He said that during Sonia Gandhi’s tenure as Congress president and Dr Manmohan Singh’s term as prime minister, several landmark welfare and rights-based laws were enacted, including the Right to Information (RTI), Right to Education (RTE), Food Security Act, MGNREGA, Forest Rights Act and Land Acquisition law. “In the last 11 years, the Modi government has weakened Congress-built institutions,” Kharge alleged.
Senior Congress leaders, including Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, also attended the ceremony at the party headquarters.
The Congress also used its official X handle to extend greetings to party members and supporters. “Heartfelt congratulations to all Congress members on the Foundation Day of the Indian National Congress,” the party posted.
In a veiled attack on the BJP-led Union government, the party said, “The Congress Party fought for India’s independence and worked to advance the nation. Meanwhile, today, when those in power are promoting hatred, injustice, and oppression in the country, we are still fighting against it with full vigour.”
The Indian National Congress was founded on December 28, 1885, in Bombay (now Mumbai), at a meeting attended by 72 delegates at Das Tejpal Sanskrit College. Allan Octavian Hume served as its first General Secretary, while Vyomesh Chandra Banerjee was appointed the party’s first president.
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