 "Mallikarjun Kharge as INDIA bloc PM face? Here's what leaders have to say")
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee surprised a INDIA bloc meeting on Tuesday by suggesting that the Opposition alliance should have a face — either as a convenor or as a prime ministerial candidate. She went on to name Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, a move that was backed by Aam Aadmi Party (AA)P leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Kharge later said the coalition did not need to present a PM face, emphasising that the immediate and pressing objective was to win the 2024 elections.
A decision on who becomes the PM can be taken later. “If we do not have MPs, what is the objective of talking about the PM. So, we will contest collectively to win majority,” he said, addding, “After winning, our MPs will follow the democratic process [to elect PM]."
Meanwhile, Congress leader PJ Joseph said Mamata Banerjee did not take Kharge's name and that she only hinted that it would be good for the alliance if it projects a 'Dalit PM'.
"She did not suggest so. While she spoke, Mamata Banerjee said that it would be good if we could project a Dalit PM. She did not say the name of any person. The matter was not discussed much because she spoke last," the Congress leader was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
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Kharge's name as the PM face for the bloc did not go down well with Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav, the leaders of the two parties, left the meeting early without attending the press conference.
What did BJP say on ‘Kharge as PM face’ proposal?
Reacting to the proposal of Kharge's name as the PM candidate of the INDIA bloc, BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that the proposal to "oust" Rahul Gandhi from the race.
"Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee know that Khargeji won't be the prime ministerial candidate when Rahul Gandhi is there. Both of them have laid a trap to oust Rahul Gandhi [from the race]. They have taken both of them [Kharge and Gandhi] in their trap," Singh told PTI.
West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari said that the BJP is not interested in who is the prime minister from the opposition camp as it has a powerful leader like Narendra Modi in theirs.
"We don't have any interest in this. Even people do not have any interest in it. Our leader is Narendra Modi. There is no question thinking of any other leader after having such a powerful leader like Modi," Adhikari told ANI.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said all INDIA bloc constituents have come together "only to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi" in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "But defeating Modi is not child's play," Athawale told news agency PTI.