'Must Avoid Going To Media Against Own Leaders': Kharge At Key Congress Panel Meet, Advises Self-Restraint

Congress Working Committee meeting was held for the second day on Sunday in Hyderabad.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and leader Rahul Gandhi at CWC meeting

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday advised the leaders of the party to avoid going to the media with statements against their own leaders and to practice self-restraint as the Congress Working Committee meeting concluded. Speaking at the second day of the extended CWC meeting in Hyderabad, the party leader said, "Organisational unity is of utmost importance, only through unity, discipline can we defeat our adversaries as seen in Karnataka." "Must work tirelessly putting aside personal interests, prioritise success of party keeping aside differences," he added, according to PTI. 

The CWC meeting began on Saturday in Telangana's Hyderabad called for the passage of the women's reservation bill in the upcoming special session of Parliament, conducting a caste census and increasing the limit of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs after a five-hour deliberation. 

The party, through the resolution, also rejected the idea of "one nation, one election", calling it an attack on the federal structure.

During the second day of the meeting on Sunday, Congress leader Pawan Khera said that Rahul Gandhi has laid specific stress on the need to have an ideological clarity. 

"Rahul Gandhi laid specific stress on the need to have an ideological clarity. I think all of us emerged from that hall of the CWC meeting in deep thought and crystal clear clarity," Khera said. 

"He warned us against walking into the irrelevant traps of the BJP...I think the kind of clarity that we got from Rahul Gandhi is something which as the workers of the party we have all been seeking," he added. 

An extended resolution on Sunday stated, "This meeting of the Extended Congress Working Committee concludes by expressing its confidence that the Indian National Congress will receive a decisive mandate from the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana in the assembly elections that will be held shortly."

"It also reaffirms the preparedness of the party organization for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, which are due in April-May 2024," it added. 

Congress Attacks Owaisi

Khera used the stage to target Bharatiya Janata Party and All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi saying he has not done any rally in Hyderabad yet. 

"Asaduddin Owaisi hasn't done a rally in Hyderabad in a long time...He has a partner, Amit Shah who was supposed to go to Maharashtra in a program but cancelled it after knowing that Congress has a program in Telangana and came here," he said. 

"Now Asaduddin Owaisi has also said that he will conduct a rally in Hyderabad...They also have another friend, BRS. This 'ABC' help each other," he added.

Meanwhile, on being asked about not being invited to join the Opposition's I.N.D.I.A. bloc, Owaisi said, "I don't care about not being invited. BSP chief Mayawati, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, and several parties from Northeast and Maharashtra are also not members of this alliance...We have asked Telangana CM KCR to go ahead and form a third front and take several parties in this. There is a political vacuum which will be filled if KCR takes the lead. INDIA alliance is not being able to fill this vacuum."