Congress developed infrastructure, BJP taking credit: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said though his party was instrumental in developing the country's infrastructure, the ruling BJP was trying to take credit for it. He also said the Congress can be strong at the national level only if it is strengthened in Mumbai, and added that the city unit has an enormous task of rebuilding the organisation.

Kharge was speaking after inaugurating a day-long convention of Mumbai Congress workers via video link.

"It is the responsibility of each and every party worker in Mumbai to strengthen the Congress. Mumbai and Congress have an old relationship as the party was founded here on 28 December 1885. Several decisions like the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) were conceived in the state by the Congress before being adopted at the national level in the form of legislation," he said.

"If you forget history, you can't do anything in future. It is the responsibility of the Congress to tell the new generation about what it did for the country," the party chief added.

The party was instrumental in the country's progress and development in terms of infrastructure and the telecom sector, among other things, he said, highlighting various projects that were executed in Mumbai during the tenure of former chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh and former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Kharge criticised the BJP for trying to take credit for the country's progress.
"BJP can only abuse the Congress and the Gandhi family. No member of the family has been in power either as a minister, chief minister or prime minister since 1989," he said.

The Congress chief said unemployment is the biggest challenge that the country was facing, but PM Narendra Modi thinks he has brought prosperity.

He also asked the Congress activists to associate themselves with self-help groups (SHGs) that were formed during the UPA regime with the aim of empowering women. The microeconomic management of the SHGs has helped women to prosper, he said.

"The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will give justice to the people and if you ignore it, you will make a big mistake," he said.