Overview

• The first cohort of 50 fellows from 17 states was inducted on August 23 at Indira Bhavan in New Delhi.
• Organizers said the fellows were chosen from more than 1,300 applicants to carry forward Manmohan Singh’s policy legacy.
• Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge contrasted Manmohan Singh’s style of governance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, alleging the current leader talks more, works less, and avoids Opposition questions.
• Kharge credited the UPA era with measures such as RTI, MGNREGA, the Food Security and Forest Rights Acts, groundwork for Aadhaar and DBT, and a major farm loan waiver, and claimed the past 11 years delivered far less.
• He said the party is using data to highlight alleged vote theft, noting Rahul Gandhi’s Bihar yatra on the issue, and he asserted that 700 farmers died without government inquiry.