Ahmedabad, Apr 9 (PTI) In a stern warning to non-performing leaders, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said those who do not help in party work should take rest and those who don't fulfil their responsibilities should retire.

In his inaugural address at the AICC session on the banks of the Sabarmati river here, Kharge also alleged "fraud" in elections and said the Maharashtra polls were won like this as he made a strong pitch for return to ballot paper. He attacked the Election Commission for not stopping the "irregularities" and instead taunting the parties raising questions.

He also hit out at the ruling BJP government accusing it of inciting communalism by raising 500 years-old issues and seeking to divide people and promote hatred among them, instead of preparing for future challenges.

Such dangerous thinking should never be supported, Kharge said.

Talking tough, he said, "I also want to say that those who do not help in party work, need to rest, those who do not fulfil their responsibilities must retire," amid applause from Congress leaders and workers.

"There is fraud happening in elections. With the advancement of electronic technology, developed countries of the world have abandoned EVMs and moved towards ballot paper. But our Election Commission is not ready to take cognizance of this. We saw in the Maharashtra elections that fake voter lists are being prepared," he alleged.

Kharge also stressed that role of district Congress committee presidents in the organisation will be greatly enhanced and they will henceforth have a say in the selection of party candidates.

"The role of district presidents is going to be important in the formation of the organisation. Therefore, their appointment has to be done strictly and impartially as per the AICC guidelines," he said.

The district president has to make the booth committee, mandal committee, block committee and district committee by adding the best people within one year of his or her appointment, Kharge said, adding that there should be no bias in this.

"In future, we are going to involve district presidents in the candidate selection process for polls," the Congress president said.

Taking on the ruling dispensation, the Congress chief said from the banks of Sabarmati, the Congress is going to take the message of determination, struggle and dedication to walk on the path of justice.

Kharge said we are once again fighting for India's independence, claiming that in this second battle for independence the enemies are injustice, inequality, discrimination, poverty and communalism.

The only difference is that back then foreigners used to promote injustice, poverty and inequality, now our own government is doing it, he said.

"Then foreigners used to take advantage of communalism, today our own government is taking advantage of it," he charged.

"But we will win this battle too!" Kharge added.

Attacking the government, he said it gives new slogans every few days but the purpose behind this is only to divert attention of people.

Kharge also accused the Modi government of selling off government assets to benefit crony capitalists and finishing democracy slowly.

"Democracy is being finished slowly, slowly, slowly," he alleged.

He said monopoly is being established with resources being handed to a few crony capitalists.

Kharge also alleged that SC, ST and OBC reservation was being finished through privatization.

"If this continues, the Narendra Modi government and Modi will sell off the whole country and go," he alleged.

Alleging that constitutional institutions and principles are being attacked, Kharge said we have to fight to protect them.

He alleged that the government ran Parliament's Budget session according to its whims and fancies.

The Speaker took the Leader of Opposition's name but did not let him speak. This is shameful in a democracy. If you do not allow LoP to speak how will you let people to raise their voice, Kharge said.

Instead of debating issues of the people, the government conducted debate till late night for its agenda of communal polarisation, Kharge said in an apparent reference to the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

He pointed out that the debate on Manipur took place at 4 am and he requested that it be held the next day but the government did not agree.

He alleged that it seems the government wants to hide something.

He said the opposition was not allowed to raise in Parliament the issue of imposition of tariffs by the US.

Kharge said the RSS chief has asked their people not to look for Shivlings' under every mosque, but they continue to do that and divide people.

Modi ignites fire and RSS people add fuel to it, he alleged.

He lashed out at the BJP for having an "anti-Dalit mindset" after its leader sprinkled Ganga water at a Ram temple in Rajasthan's Alwar to "purify" it following Congress' Tikaram Jully's participation in the consecration ceremony there.

Kharge also made a strong pitch for a nationwide caste census and alleged that Prime Minister Modi uses OBC status for political gains but does not take steps for their welfare.

The Congress president also slammed the government over increasing excise duty on petrol and diesel and hiking the price of LPG cylinder.

Earlier, the Congress passed a condolence resolution, paying tributes to those Congress members who passed away after the Raipur session of February 2023.

The party paid rich tributes to former prime minister Manmohan Singh who passed away last year in December.

The Congress is holding its AICC session on the banks of the Sabarmati River here on Wednesday during which the party will present its social, political and economic views through at least two resolutions.

The Ahmedabad session, themed "Nyaypath: Sankalp, Samarpan aur Sangharsh," is being attended by more than 1,700 elected and co-opted AICC members.

This comes a day after an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) met here to finalise the session's agenda and discuss the resolutions to be passed at length.

Countering the BJP's high-pitched campaign of invoking nationalist figures to rally support, the Congress on Tuesday asserted its claim on the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first deputy prime minister, whose path it pledged to follow in the "ideological war" with the BJP-RSS. PTI ASK/SKC ZMN