"Deeply touched," says Mallikarjun Kharge at launch of book to mark his 50 years in politics

"...I would like to thank all the people who have written about me in this book...I am deeply touched by the message from all of you...What I have been able to contribute to the people of my constituency, my state, and my country is because of the faith shown in me by the voters and my party leaders," Kharge said.

In his address at the launch of a book to mark his 50 years in electoral politics, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that he was "deeply touched." "...I would like to thank all the people who have written about me in this book...I am deeply touched by the message from all of you...What I have been able to contribute to the people of my constituency, my state, and my country is because of the faith shown in me by the voters and my party leaders," Kharge said while speaking at the event on Wednesday.

The Congress president said that he was given an opportunity to serve as Minister in his very first term as MLA. "When I was chosen to contest the MLA elections by the Congress party, I was only 29 years old. The Congress party recognized that I was someone who would fight for the rights of the poor, labour class, dalits and the marginalised sections of society. That is why I was given an opportunity to serve as Minister in my very first term as MLA," Kharge said.

While launching the book, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that Kharge has always been consensual and collaborative and he has been her wise companion and a pillar of strength on the personal front. "He has always placed party organization above his personal interest... No matter how high or low the status of his colleague, Kharge ji has always been consensual and collaborative. To me personally Kharge has been a wise companion and a pillar of strength. He has shared many of my burdens with stoic courage and unwavering kindness," Sonia said.

Hitting out at the Bharartiya Janata Party, Sonia said, "Today he helms the Congress party at a crucial juncture. Those in power are subverting all those institutions, systems, and principles by which India has thrived since our independence. As a strong organizational leader who enjoys our confidence, Mallikarjun Kharge is best suited to lead the Congress party." The book has been titled 'Mallikarjun Kharge: Political Engagement with Compassion, Justice and Inclusive Development'. Several political leaders across political lined including Sonia Gandhi, Ram Nath Kovind, Manmohan Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar have contributed to several chapters in the book. (ANI)

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