Big Congress Would Continue To Use Mallikarjun Kharge As Its Leader In Opposition
As the party hasn’t agreed on Mallikarjun Kharge’s replacement in parliament, the Congress president may continue to serve as Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, breaking a crucial norm.
When Ashok Gehlot was looking for a dual function, Rahul Gandhi emphasized the “One Person, One Post” concept, which would completely reverse itself if Mr. Kharge occupies two positions.
The strategy group of the Congress Parliamentary Party will meet tomorrow, per Sonia Gandhi’s call. According to sources, only Mr. Kharge, Jairam Ramesh, and KC Venugopal from the Rajya Sabha have been invited to the meeting.
According to sources, Digvijaya Singh and P Chidambaram, who are thought to be the front-runners to succeed Mr. Kharge in the Rajya Sabha, were not invited to the meeting.
Sources indicate Mr. Kharge may continue in the position, at least for the winter session of parliament, despite having resigned as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha before submitting his candidacy papers for Congress head.
According to sources, the party is likely to reorganize the Congress Parliamentary Party after the brief session is over.
There are two more exceptions to the Congress policy in addition to Mr. Kharge. The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and president of the Bengal chapter of the party is Adhiranjan Choudhary. Chief Whip of the Rajya Sabha and head of Congress Communications are both Jairam Ramesh.
Rahul Gandhi had stated in September that the Congress would stick to the position it took during its Udaipur session in February.
Ashok Gehlot, the Gandhis’ first candidate for Congress president at the time, who had been hesitant to resign from his position as Rajasthan Chief Minister, was the recipient of his message. In a rare display of defiance, Congress MLAs close to him even declined to attend a meeting because they were concerned that if Mr. Gehlot accepted a national position, Sachin Pilot would succeed him in Rajasthan.
Mr. Kharge took over as the official candidate for the October elections for Congress president after Mr. Gehlot was finally dropped. The Congress may need to make an exception for Mr. Kharge after all, it now appears.
News Mania Desk
