New Delhi: The Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party Smt Sonia Gandhi today inaugurated the new Congress headquarters ‘Indira Bhawan’ named after former Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi.
Those present on the occasion included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary organisation KC Venugopal, treasurer Ajay Maken, senior party leaders, CWC members, permanent and special invitees, state Chief Ministers and former Chief Ministers, PCC president, CLP leaders and others.
The foundation stone of the new headquarters was laid down by Smt Sonia Gandhi while being the Congress president on December 28, 2009 on the occasion of 125th foundation day of the party.
Speaking on the occasion, the Congress president expressed his gratitude to Smt Sonia Gandhi. He disclosed that it was way back in 1952 during the Congress Working Committee meeting that the Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had proposed having party headquarters in this area, which was shifted to Delhi at the time of independence.
Kharge said, Indira Bhawan, the new party headquarters will serve as a beacon of hope, energy and inspiration for the Congress workers who are fighting every day for the party ideology.
The Congress president condemned the recent statement of the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat where he said that the country did not get real independence on August 15, 1947 but the day Ram Temple was inaugurated in Ayodhya.
Kharge said that the Congress party’s new headquarters “Indira Bhawan” has been built on the foundation of Democracy, Nationalism, Secularism, Inclusive Development and Social Justice.
“Symbolising the 140-year-old glorious history of the Indian National Congress, the walls here narrate the great saga of truth, non-violence, sacrifice, struggle and patriotism”, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said that it was quite symbolic that when the Congress was inaugurating the new headquarters, RSS Chief had said, India did not achieve independence on August 15, 1947. He said this was an act of treason and the RSS chief could be arrested for saying that in any other country.
“What he (Bhagwat) said yesterday is treason because if he is stating that the Constitution is invalid and the fight against the British was invalid then it's treason. In any other country, one would be arrested and tried”, he pointed out, while asserting, “to say that India didn't get independence in 1947 is an insult to every single Indian. And it's time we stop listening to such nonsense”.
Maintaining that Congress ideology did not emerge yesterday, he said, it was thousands of years old and it has been fighting the RSS ideology for thousands of years. “We have our symbols. We have Shiva; we have Buddha; we have Guru Nanak; we have Kabir; and we have Mahatma Gandhi”, he said, while adding, “these are all the symbols that have shown the correct path to this country. Please name one symbol of the RSS ideology that is revered in India today”.
Congratulating the party workers and leaders, Gandhi said, “everybody in this room is under severe assault defending the ideas of the Congress party. Sometimes we forget it. But these people in this room are facing systematic attack and assault on their lives because they are in the Congress party, and they are not surrendering to the BJP and the RSS”. You'll see that the only party capable of stopping them is the Congress party, and that's because we are an ideological party, he said.
“That is why, in the same way, this building has emerged from the soil of our country, from the blood of our leaders and our workers. The idea behind this building must also reach every corner of our country”, he observed.
Gandhi in a scathing criticism of the Election Commission of India remarked, “we are uncomfortable with the way the Election Commission operates”.
“Do not think we are fighting a fair fight. If you believe we are fighting against a political organisation called BJP and RSS, you have not understood what is going on. They have captured almost every institution in our country. We are now fighting not just the BJP and RSS, but the Indian state itself”, he warned.
Questioning the fairness of the electoral process in Maharashtra, he said, “I clearly stated that something went wrong in the Maharashtra elections. We are uncomfortable with the way the Election Commission operates. The sudden appearance of almost one crore new voters between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra is problematic”.
He observed, it is the Election Commission's duty to make the voters list transparent to the Opposition. He added that Congress had demanded to see the names and address of the people who voted in Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra and names and address of the people who voted in Vidhan Sabha elections. However, the Election Commission has refused to provide this information.
“Why would the Election Commission refuse to make the voters' list transparent? What purpose does it serve by not providing us with the list, and why are they withholding it?”, he asked, adding, it is the Election Commission's duty to provide transparency, and it is their sacred responsibility to explain why this has happened.
Speaking on the occasion, the Congress general secretary in charge organization, KC Venugopal said, “this building is not a structure of bricks and mortar, but a testament to the dreams, dedication, and sacrifices of the millions of Congress workers who have tirelessly served the nation through this great party”.
This building is a reflection of our commitment to remain forward-looking, while remaining rooted in our rich history and values, he added.
