Rahul Gandhi, Congress Not Interested In PM Post: Mallikarjun Kharge At Opposition Meet

The two-day meeting is being attended by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, M K Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal, Hemant Soren, and Lalu Prasad, the leader of the RJD.

To deliberate on the structure of the front that would challenge the BJP next year, top leaders from 26 opposition parties have assembled in Bengaluru. The official discussions are scheduled for today from 11 am to 4 pm.

According to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, his party has no desire for authority or the position of Prime Minister. Attacking the BJP, he said that the president and other party officials are “running from state to state” to make amends with former partners. In the conference, he declared, "We are 26 parties, in power in 11 states; BJP didn’t obtain 303 seats by itself, utilized votes of allies then abandoned them.

I-N-D-I-A (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance) is one of the names being explored for the opposition front, according to sources. However, Left-leaning parties have asked for the word “alliance” to be reexamined.

The leaders, who were gathering in Bengaluru, met for supper yesterday night to finalize the schedule for the private meetings on Tuesday. According to insiders, Sonia Gandhi, who served as the UPA’s chairman, may be chosen as the Front’s president and Nitish Kumar as its convenor.

Along with Mrs. Gandhi, other participants in the two-day meeting include Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Chief Ministers MK Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal, Hemant Soren, Mamata Banerjee, and RJD leader Lalu Prasad. Sharad Pawar joined the conference today after his party split earlier this month as a result of his nephew Ajit Pawar’s uprising.

All parties have reportedly been requested to submit names for the front, which must contain the term “India,” according to sources. “United we stand” will be the slogan. Additionally, ideas for the Common Minimum Programme are being solicited. Additionally, it was suggested that the topic of states be maintained distinct.

Mamta Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi were sat next to each other at the dinner gathering last night at the Taj West End Hotel. The start of the encounter was delayed by a one-on-one talk they had earlier that lasted about 20 minutes, according to insiders.

Despite the fact that the two leaders are known to get along well, recently, ties between the Congress and Ms. Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress have deteriorated. However, both parties have moved on and now concur that stopping the BJP next year should be a top priority in order to preserve democracy and federalism.

The Congress is hosting the gathering at a location that was picked with care. The recent Karnataka assembly election victory for the Congress party has not only energized the opposition but also put the party in a strong position.

However, the Congress has maintained a low profile while under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, repeating its desire to hear the opinions of other leaders. Its desire to work as a team was also demonstrated by its backing of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party in opposition to the Central Ordinance in parliament.

Senior Congressman Pawan Khera responded that “all parties having the will and guts to fight the BJP are welcome” when asked if HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular will attend. “This resistance is going to increase, from 16 in Patna to 26 in Bengaluru… There will be a lot more meetings. We will talk about the issues right now, and then we’ll talk about the leaders,” he continued.