Priyank Kharge, who is Karnataka's IT & RDPR minister, stressed on the need for the Congress and INDIA bloc parties to focus on gaining majority in Lok Sabha.
Priyank Kharge taking oath as minister in Siddaramaiah Cabinet in May, 2023. (File Photo)
It would be good if Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge becomes the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Opposition bloc INDIA, but there is a need to first face practical challenges ahead, instead of daydreaming, his son and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said, on Wednesday, 20 December.
He stressed the need for the Congress and INDIA bloc parties to gain a majority in Lok Sabha, calling it a major challenge before the Opposition formation.
“The AICC President has clearly reacted to this, he has said that the challenge before us is to elect as many (Congress) parliamentarians as possible and send them to Delhi. It is the major challenge ahead of us. Whatever has to be done to get a majority, we will do it,” Priyank Kharge said.
Speaking to reporters, in response to a question, he said, “Will you say no, if a Kannadiga becomes the Prime Minister?”
“If he (Mallikarjun Kharge) becomes (PM candidate), good, but we have to first face the practical challenges ahead of us, we cannot be just daydreaming. We have to first win Congress’ 200-250 seats, along with that we have to, together with INDIA alliance members, create a favourable atmosphere and ensure that as many candidates win from their parties too; after that other questions will arise,” the Minister for Rural Development added.
AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was proposed as the Prime Minister face for the INDIA bloc to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Mallikarjun Kharge hails from Karnataka’s Kalaburagi. Kharge, however, shot the proposal down.
A crucial meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc was held in the national capital on Tuesday where top leaders were discussing the way forward, including seat-sharing, for taking on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
At the meeting, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the prime ministerial candidate of the bloc. The veteran Congress leader, however, is said to have turned it down, pointing out that it was important to win first and everything else could be decided later.
Sources, however, said that there was no final decision on the issue.
After his name was proposed as the Opposition bloc’s candidate to become the country’s first Dalit prime minister at a meeting attended by 28 Opposition leaders, Kharge said, “I work for the downtrodden. Let’s win first, then we will see. I don’t seek anything.”
MDMK leader Vaiko said, after the meeting, that Kharge’s name was proposed by Banerjee and Kejriwal. “There was no opposition to that name, Mr Kharge’s,” Vaiko told reporters.
(With PTI inputs)
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