Rahul, Congress will have a say on PM face when we defeat BJP: Bihar party chief

Doubts over the Opposition’s “unity” was ignited by BJP veteran Ravi Shankar Prasad who charged last Sunday that this coalition was too fragmented to show a harmonious face.

New Delhi: The Congress Party and Rahul Gandhi will have a say in who will be Prime Minister from the Opposition alliance “after defeating the BJP”, Bihar unit chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh said Thursday, a day ahead of their mega meeting in Patna.

Singh said Gandhi does not hanker for post or chair but “wants to serve the people as does his family”. “He could have become Prime Minister in 2009 but he didn’t. Every Congressman wants him to be PM, but that does not mean he will agree,” Singh said, attempting to address the ruling BJP’s public derision over the Opposition’s PM face.

He added the leader was not stepping back and will fight against Modi with all his might, and added that the Congress, its president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as Gandhi would have a say in choosing a PM for the alliance. “That is because Congress will win the maximum seats in this coalition,” he added.

Doubts over the Opposition’s “unity” was ignited by BJP veteran Ravi Shankar Prasad who charged last Sunday that this coalition was too fragmented to show a harmonious face.

Prasad called the Opposition alliance one of selfish people, “interested only in power”. “Mamata says she won’t go with Congress if it fights along with the Communists in Bengal. This is only an anti-Modi coalition. They can’t do anything on their own. The country has moved on from the times of Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral and V.P. Singh (Prime Ministers who shepherded coalitions at the Centre). India wants a stable government not that of those who fight among themselves. Bihar won’t go with them, nor will the country,” Prasad said.

The BJP leader has come under heavy criticism from members of secular parties, who asked him to be patient.

The Opposition’s event on Friday is being convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar — who has toured the country meeting like-minded leaders — to find common ground ahead of the 2024 general elections. Kumar has rooted for Opposition unity ever since he left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and joined the Opposition platform in August last year.

Top leaders of several parties, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, M.K. Stalin Arvind Kejriwal and Sitaram Yechury.

Courtesy : The Print

Note: This news piece was originally published in theprint.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights