Unite and overthrow 'dictatorial' govt to save democracy: Kharge to Cong leaders
Hyderabad (PTI): Batting for unity and organisational discipline, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday asked party leaders to prioritise the success of the party putting aside personal differences and take on adversaries with full might in the upcoming state and Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing the extended CWC meeting on the second day of deliberations, Kharge said the party's goal must be to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and work diligently to form an alternative government in the country.
In a scathing attack on the Modi government, Kharge accused it of playing politics and distracting and diverting people from basic issues by bringing new ones.
"Recently, during the Mumbai meeting of INDIA alliance, Modi government formed a committee on 'One Nation, One Election'. In contravention of all conventions, it also included a former President to fulfil its agenda," Kharge said.
He noted that elections in five states are scheduled in the next two to three months, while the Lok Sabha elections are only six months away.
Kharge also said the party must be prepared for possible assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress-led governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have "pioneered a new model of social justice and welfarism", he said and urged leaders to publicise these welfare schemes across the country.
Kharge asserted that the people are looking for an alternative and the party's victories in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka elections are clear proof of this.
"We must work tirelessly, putting aside personal interests. We must prioritise the success of the party, putting aside our personal differences," Kharge stressed to the leaders present at the meeting.
He also emphasised that leaders must exercise self-restraint and avoid going to the media with statements against their party colleagues or the party so that the organisation's interests are not harmed
"Likewise, organisational unity is of utmost importance. Only through unity and discipline can we defeat our adversaries. This was evident in Karnataka, where we remained united and fought with discipline to achieve success," he said.
"Our goal must be to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and work diligently to form an alternative government in the country," the Congress chief stressed.
Noting that there are challenges that lie ahead, Kharge said these challenges aren't just those of the Congress and they concern the survival of Indian democracy and the preservation of the Indian Constitution.
"I would like to ask the state presidents and Legislative party leaders present here: Are your committees at the Mandal, Block and District level ready? Are we giving them regular programmes? Have we started identifying potential candidates?" Kharge said at the meeting.
"This is not the time for us to rest. In the last 10 years under BJP rule, the challenges faced by ordinary people have multiplied. The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) refuses to address the concerns of the poor, farmers, labourers, women, and youth; instead, he cannot look beyond himself," the Congress chief alleged.
"In such circumstances, we cannot remain mute spectators," he added.
Kharge urged leaders to unite and overthrow "this dictatorial government" in order to save democracy.
Noting that 2024 also marks the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's election as the Congress president, Kharge said the most fitting tribute to the Mahatma would be to oust the BJP from power in 2024.
"From Telangana, we will go with renewed strength and a clear message. We leave Hyderabad today with a firm commitment: to win not only in Telangana but in all upcoming elections, relieving people from miseries of BJP's misrule," he said.
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Karnataka MLA Vinay Kulkarni disqualified after conviction in Goudar murder case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Saturday issued an official notification regarding the disqualification of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in the murder case of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.
The former minister is currently in prison, serving life imprisonment in the case.
“Consequent upon the conviction of Vinay Kulkarni, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Dharwad constituency, by the LXXXI Additional City Civil & Sessions Judge, Bengaluru City (CCH-82), in Spl CC No. 565/2021, he stands disqualified from the membership of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction, i.e, April 15, 2026,” the notification read.
“He stands disqualified in terms of the provisions of Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India, read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years after his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court,” it added.
Hence, one seat in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has fallen vacant, the notification said.
Bypolls were held on April 9 to fill two other seats in the 224-member Assembly that fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLAs. The results will be declared on May 4.
On April 15, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder. Subsequently, on April 17, the court sentenced Kulkarni and 15 others convicted in the case to life imprisonment.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at that time. Hired assailants attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym at Saptapur in Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Vinay Kulkarni as the “main conspirator.” It alleged that he perceived Yogeshgouda Goudar as a growing political rival in Dharwad and hired contract killers to eliminate him.
Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021 under certain conditions, including a ban on entering Dharwad district. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail following allegations of witness tampering and attempts to influence prosecution witnesses.
Kulkarni again sought bail in January 2026, but the High Court rejected it, citing judicial propriety.
However, the Supreme Court granted him bail on February 27 after noting that all witnesses had been examined.
