Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge calls for rural communities to be provided security before crisis strikes

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) said rural communities should not be remembered only during droughts, floods, crop failures or elections, and called for a development model that provides them security before a crisis strikes.

“Our rural communities do not need to be remembered only when there is a drought, a flood, a crop failure or an election. They deserve a development model that gives them security before the crisis arrives,” Mr. Kharge said.

He was speaking at an event organised by the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Foundation and the Dr. KVP Foundation, where the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) was conferred the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Award, 2026.

Mr. Kharge said governments must ensure that farmers have fair markets, rural families have decent livelihoods, and women have economic independence, while tribal communities and villages need access to technology, opportunities and basic infrastructure.