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The Congress on Wednesday rolled down the red carpet for the first non-Gandhi president in 24 years, 80-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge, who defeated his rival, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor by over 6,825 votes.
Soon after his election, outgoing Congress President Sonia Gandhi drove to Kharge’s residence to congratulate him.
Shashi Throor conceded his defeat philosophically, quoting poet Rumi on Twitter, “If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?” He then captioned a picture of him with Kharge with another lyrical message, “Udhar bhi apne hee the sab ke sab. Idhar bhi apne the sare ke sare. Tum jo jeete to bhala kya jeete. Ham jo hare to bhala kya hare (Amidst our own, what is victory and loss).”
Rahul Gandhi welcomes Kharge’s victory
Hailing the election, Rahul Gandhi said it is a sign of internal democracy in the Congress and announced, “What my role would be, how I am to be deployed would be decided by my president Khargejee.”
In a meeting of workers in Andhra Pradesh where he is touring as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul said, “Congress is the only party which represents every Indian. It does not discriminate between religions and castes. It is the only party that respects democracy and allows dissent. Which other party do you see where free and fair elections are held and dissent is allowed – do you see it in the BJP, YSR Congress or TDP? They are all dictatorships."
Kharge’s priorities
Kharge outlined fighting against the subversion of democracy and democratic institutions by the BJP and strengthening the Congress organisation as his top priorities.
“The country cannot be held ransom to a dictator’s whims. We all need to work together to fight the fascist forces that are attacking constitutional values and institutional democracy. It is a tribute to the democracy in the Congress that a person such as myself who comes from a poor background is now the president. We all need to work together,” said Kharge.
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