‘Kharge? I don’t even know his name': JD(U) MLA's barb at INDIA ally Congress chief

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had proposed Mallikarjun Kharge as INDIA bloc's prime ministerial candidate or convenor.

Published on: Jan 8, 2024, 21:23:24 IST

By HT News Desk

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A major controversy erupted on Monday after a sitting legislator belonging to Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) lashed out at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Gopal Mandal, the sitting MLA from Bhagalpur's Gopalpur assembly constituency, pitched for Nitish Kumar as the next prime minister. “The next Prime Minister should be Nitish Kumar. He travelled across the country and created the INDIA alliance. No one is capable of becoming the PM other than Nitish Kumar”.

“Kharge?...I don't even know his name. No one knows him, everyone knows who Nitish Kumar is... Even if we give 40 seats to Congress, will they be able to win? Congress will not be able to win a single seat in Bhagalpur...Congress maybe the biggest party in the country but not in Bihar,” Mandal was quoted by ANI as saying. JD(U) is an ally of the Congress in the opposition bloc ‘INDIA’.

It is not the first time when Mandal has been dismissive of Kharge. Last year, he said no one knows Kharge and said the public will not accept him, referring to the Congress president as “Kharge-Farge”.

There have been reports of unease in the JD(U) after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee proposed Kharge as the leader of ‘INDIA’ bloc. The proposal was backed by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. However, Kumar underlined he has no objections to Kharge's name doing rounds as opposition bloc's prime ministerial candidate.

Recently, Kharge was asked if the Bihar chief minister was being considered for the post of INDIA convenor. He replied,"That question (who will be INDIA bloc's convenor?) is like Kaun Banega Crorepati? It will be decided in the next 10-15 days when we hold a meeting. Don't worry about it.”

Nitish Kumar, who entered politics during the anti-Congress movement led by Jaiprakash Narayan during the 1975-77 Emergency, recently took over as the JD(U) president at the party's national executive in New Delhi.

Senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said that Kumar was the “ideological convener and ideological prime minister of INDIA”, grabbing the attention of allies and adversaries alike.

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