New Delhi, June 8: Asserting that the INDIA bloc must remain united and work together, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today said that the recent electoral verdict was “a decisive rejection of the politics of the last 10 years…it is rejection of the politics of divisiveness, hate and polarisation”.

At the same time, he added, the Congress party accepts the verdict with genuine humility.

In his opening remarks at the meeting of the extended Congress Working Committee here today, the Congress president said, “people have spoken against the dictatorial and anti-democratic ways of the ruling party”.

Making a special mention of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kharge said, wherever the ‘Yatra’ went, there was an increase in the vote percentage and number of seats for the Congress party.

He pointed out, in Manipur, the Congress won both the seats. “We also won seats in Nagaland, Assam, and Meghalaya”, he said, while adding, “in Maharashtra, we emerged as the single-largest party as people from all walks of life supported the Congress to save the country’s democracy and Constitution”.

Kharge also referred to the Congress party’s expansion and the increase in number of seats dominated by SC, ST, OBC and minority voters as well as in the rural areas. “Going forward, we have to make our presence felt in urban areas as well”, he observed.

The Congress president also referred to some shortcomings and below the expectations results, saying, “while we celebrate the revival, we should pause a little as in some states, we have not performed as per our abilities and expectations”.

 

 

Further, he pointed out, the party could not repeat performance in a few such states where it had previously done well in Vidhan Sabha elections and formed the government.

Acknowledging the role played by the INDIA partners, he said, “I will be failing in my duty if I don’t acknowledge the INDIA alliance partners; each party played its designated role in different states and each party contributed to the other”.

Our determination is that the INDIA group must continue to work together, he said, adding, “we must function cohesively and collectively both in Parliament and outside”.

Referring to the issues raised by the party during the election campaign, he said, these are the issues that are bothering the people of India. “We have to continue to raise them both in Parliament and outside”, he said.

Maintaining that the Congress accepts the verdict with genuine humility, he called for discipline and unity. “We must be disciplined, must be united… the people have reposed their faith back in us in substantial measures and we must build on it”.

The Congress president asserted, whether the Congress remains in power or not, its work will continue. “We have to work amongst our people 24 hours, 365 days and raise their issues”, he said.

He also thanked groups of farmers, organisations working for backward classes, civil society groups, NGOs, small groups of traders, lawyers, intellectuals, independent media and others for their support to the party.