New Delhi, Oct. 26 (PTI): Veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge formally took over as Congress president on Wednesday and said the party will break the “system of lies and hatred” prevailing under the current government. Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the party in 24 years, had defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the president’s post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race. Speaking at the event after he was handed over the certificate of election to the top post at a function at the AICC headquarters here, Kharge said it was an emotional moment for him and he would like to thank Congress people for making a worker’s son and an ordinary worker, president of the party. “I know it is a difficult time, efforts are being made to change democracy established by Congress,” the 80-year-old leader said after taking over as party chief. “The Congress will break this system of lies and hatred tha
The Congress and BJP had been the two largest parties at every election since 1991, finishing first (in seats) three times each. But the Congress that Rahul inherited in September 2013 was a far more "national" party than the BJP.