A year in office as AICC president, Mallikarjun Kharge proves he is the wartime general Congress needed

A year since he was elected as president of Congress, 81-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge has proven to be a wartime general — just the kind the party needed — ahead of key elections, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He is seen as assertive but non-threatening, accessible and non-partisan, but above all, as an unwavering loyalist who puts the interests of the party first.

Also Read: ‘Son of labourer’ Kharge to take on ‘Chaiwallah’ Narendra Modi

Exceeding expectations

From something as simple and effective as setting aside time to meet party workers, to containing dissent in state units of the Congress, from big ticket moves such as bringing heavyweights from other Opposition parties to the discussion table, to launching politically loaded salvos at the ruling BJP — inside and outside Parliament — Kharge has exceeded expectations.

When he took charge as AICC president on 26 October, 2022, it seemed like the Congress had found in this “son of a labourer” a counter to Narendra Modi’s “chaiwallah”. A year down the line, that reading has only become stronger.

Other than taking Modi head-on in election rallies, Kharge — with his witty poems and idioms, thunderous statements, and in-your-face challenges — has set the tone for the Congress and other Opposition parties.

With Kharge, a Dalit, as president, the Congress has given itself the moral high ground to put the Modi-led Union government on the backfoot over the caste census and back its own social justice plank of equitable representation.

Kharge’s “Bhoomi putra” assertion in Parliament in February this year became a recurring theme in the Congress campaign in poll-bound states. A “nativism” challenge to BJP’s nationalism pitch.

From @kharge‘s “I am more patriotic than any of you,” to @KanimozhiDMK‘s stance on federalism,” @KartiPC‘s “Raj Bhavans destabilizing elected govts”, @JohnBrittas‘ charge of “govt using nationalism to shield black money”…voices from South in Parliamenthttps://t.co/oy5wakPJV5

— Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) February 9, 2023

Underestimated leader

A big part of him “exceeding expectations” has to do with how little was expected from Kharge given that his capabilities have been consistently — and unfairly — underestimated.

His disinterest in the media limelight is often misconstrued as inadequacy. His loyalty, compelling him to cede instead of rebelling, is misread as him being a pushover. His refusal to play the “Dalit card” is mistaken for lack of political shrewdness.

All of this shouldn’t come as a surprise given that, even after half-a-century of unflinching loyalty, Kharge was still not the Gandhi family’s first choice for AICC president. It was only after Ashok Gehlot rejected the candidature that Kharge was asked to contest. He did.

Despite seemingly ceding space, Kharge’s heft has only risen — whether with his elevation in the party or now in the larger Opposition bloc. Other Opposition party leaders insisting that he announce the name — INDIA — at their second meet in Bengaluru in July was testimony to this.

Kharge read from a hand-written note with the word “democratic” struck out at the last minute to be replaced with “developmental”. (Yes, I have seen the handwritten note.)

Commanding respect

Ceding space only to emerge stronger, it seems, is a recurring theme for Kharge. Having lost the race to become chief minister of Karnataka thrice, he is today the president of India’s oldest political party — a non-Gandhi president after 24 years — and his style of functioning is helping Congress reorganise, recuperate, and rebuild.

“Kharge has been extremely efficient as AICC president and the Gandhi family, too, has been very particular about extending the space and respect that the Congress president’s post commands. They always arrive at events before Kharge and leave only after him. You will see Rahul Gandhi holding his hand, driving Kharge in his car, and visiting Kharge’s home for consultation and advice. There is mutual respect,” a senior AICC office bearer told South First. The loyalist in Kharge isn’t seen as a threat to the Congress first family.

Kharge’s seniority and longstanding working relationships command respect from leaders of other parties like Sharad Pawar, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, and MK Stalin.

Even those in the Congress acknowledge that tall leaders of other parties find it more fruitful to talk to Kharge than to Rahul Gandhi. In short, it has become easier for Congress to talk to other parties with Kharge as its chief.

A little over a month after he assured in Chennai that the Congress would cede space for Opposition unity, Kharge had ensured meetings with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in April this year. It was only a matter of time before the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Left parties — who were contemplating a third front — came on board.

A day after Bihar CM @NitishKumar & DyCM @yadavtejashwi met @kharge & @RahulGandhi, NCP Chief @PawarSpeaks meets the duo amid talk of Opposition unity. pic.twitter.com/a0msmho1nh

— Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) April 13, 2023

Accommodative leadership

Whether inside the party or outside, Kharge has been careful not to ruffle feathers. Even if that means giving up Congress’ claim to lead the bloc or accommodating his colleagues, rivals, foes, and well-wishers in his new Congress Working Committee (CWC). Even Shashi Tharoor, who contested the party election against him, is now a CWC member.

From managing the tussle for the chief ministers’ posts in Himachal and Karnataka post-elections, to assuaging dissenting leaders in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh, or even Haryana, by giving them a patient hearing but warning against denting the party’s prospects, Kharge has adopted an “every problem has a different solution” strategy, fully aware that his party is a creature of habit that doesn’t respond well to sudden, radical changes.

Kharge’s biggest challenge as Congress president lies in ensuring the smooth functioning of the INDIA bloc without asserting himself or his party as the fulcrum of Opposition unity, lest he triggers insecurity among allies.

And he has to do this even as he continues to take on — directly and unforgivingly — the single-most important weapon in the BJP’s arsenal ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls: Narendra Modi. That Kharge does this without facing the kind of ire that his colleagues Mani Shakar Aiyar or Rahul Gandhi do is a testament both to his stature and his persona.