Kharge: Poor man like me could have a long career because of Congress

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Friday said it was because of his party that a person like him with a humble background could have a long political career and become an MLA and MP.

Kharge, who addressed a 'Jai Bharat Satyagraha Sabha' at Mancherial in Telangana Friday night, said he would not have been a lawmaker had Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi not encouraged a "poor man" like him.

He said that Sonia Gandhi gave him an opportunity to work as the president of the Congress which is a huge responsibility.

Hitting out at the BJP government at the Centre, he claimed that while Rahul Gandhi was given notice and disqualified from the Lok Sabha within 24 hours of his conviction in the 2019 defamation case, a BJP MP from Gujarat was not disqualified despite being convicted in a criminal case.

Kharge, however, did not name the MP from Gujarat.

The Congress chief also accused the Narendra Modi government of weakening the public sector and not creating crores of jobs as promised.

He also targeted the BRS government in Telangana, accusing it of not fulfilling its promises, including providing three acres of land to Dalits.

Hailing the contributions of Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, Kharge said it was because of the architect of the Constitution that Dalits and women got voting rights.