Bengaluru, Nov 19 (IANS): Veteran Congress party leader, M. Mallikarjuna Kharge on Thursday said that no party can ever survive, if it fails to practice its own ideology.

Addressing party leaders after commemorating 103 birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office here, he said that party leaders must stay committed to party ideology.

"That is what the Congress leaders are lacking of late. Which Congress leader has taken pain to convince the youngsters about sacrifices made by the Congress party and its leaders? What is the programme our party leaders have come up with to counter BJP's falsehoods? It has to be done at the local level. We can not expect from top leadership to do all these things," he said.

Highlighting Congress party's failures, Kharge said that how can even Rahul or Sonia Gandhi be held responsible if the party loses its seats in states or in local bodies?

"Don't we leaders fight and ensure our supporters get tickets in local bodies. After securing tickets, if the same candidate loses the election, who is to be blamed? Is this the fault of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi for listening to you and honouring your decisions," he questioned.

He further charged that if elections are lost locally, the local leaders must have the courage to accept it also, instead launching a sly campaign against the party leadership.

"...therefore, I say this that a party that forgets its ideology, is certain to fail in every election. The party and its leaders must have strong commitment to practice what our party ideology stands for," he said.

Kharge added that the Congress party that believed in practicing secular values that were envisaged by Basava philosophy, Narayana Guru and Ambedkar-Jyotiba Phule ideology but today the party leaders themselves have forgotten all of this.

"The Congress party need to carry on this mantle no matter how their political opponent is strong," he said.