Congress falls and rises again but does not change its principles: Sushilkumar Shinde

Solapur, Aug 24 (PTI) Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde on Sunday said the Congress falls and rises again but never changes its principles.

Speaking at a party event here, he said that the Congress has “digested these defeats”, a reference to the setbacks in the 2014, 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Shinde said the same was the case in 1974 after the Emergency, which was imposed by the late former prime minister Indira Gandhi, when the Congress struggled to get people to work for the party. However, all those associated with the party then worked hard and rebuilt it, he said.

“Time has changed. We have not abandoned the stand of the Congress 50 years back. We did not disturb the practice of equality for all religions. We never looked at the caste system. So Congress falls, rises again, but we do not change its principles,” the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

He said the new party functionaries must work hard, adding that the old guard has mostly seen good times, barring a few occasions.

“I am confident that Congress will come back to power. We have to set aside our differences,” Shinde said. PTI PR NR