Just as Congress is huddling for damage control after Mamata Banerjee proposed the name of Mallikarjun Kharge as the Opposition prime ministerial candidate, a Janata Dal (United) MLA has hinted at divide over the proposal. JD(U) MLA Gopal Mandal has insisted on naming Nitish Kumar as the Opposition PM candidate should the alliance defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
The JD(U) leader went on to say that “people don’t know” Mallikarjun Kharge and even he didn’t know he was Congress president. But, Gopal Mandal said, “people know who Nitish Kumar is.”
“People will not acknowledge, they don’t know who’s Mallikarjun Kharge. Now that you’ve mentioned his name, I got to know it. I didn’t even know that he is the national president of Congress…Nobody knows him. Common people don’t know him, they know who’s Nitish Kumar. He’ll become the Prime Minister as everybody knows him,” Gopal Mandal was quoted as saying by ANI.
Also Read | JD(U) leader swipes at INDIA bloc, says ‘meet is limited to chai-samosas’
In the last INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi, Mamata Banerjee had reportedly proposed the name of Mallikarjun Kharge as the alliance convener and prime ministerial candidate. Mamata Banerjee said the proposal was backed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Mallikarjun Kharge refused to comment on the proposal, saying the first task for the INDIA bloc was to win the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the reports, Mallikarjun Kharge has called Nitish Kumar, while Rahul Gandhi has met Sharad Pawar in a possible damage control. Rahul Gandhi is also expected to call Nitish Kumar. The details of the calls have not been shared.
Although Nitish Kumar responds to the ‘PM question’ with humility, expressing his primary goal of uniting the Opposition against the BJP, there is a belief that he harbors aspirations for the top leadership position.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More
Less
Published: 22 Dec 2023, 06:14 PM IST