Fact Sheet: Kharge proves his worth

When Mamata Banerjee proposed the name of Mallikharjun Kharge, the President of the Congress Party as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the INDIA alliance, there was no response from the top leadership of the Congress Party namely Rahul or Sonia Gandhi.

In the unlikely scenario that Kharge’s name was accepted and the INDIA alliance wins the polls, it would have made him the first Dalit Prime Minister of the country.

In this day and age when everyone is clamoring for reservations and privilege without ability, Kharge surprisingly comes across as a sensible person.

Responding to a question on not being nominated as the INDIA alliance’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Kharge said, “Is only being a Dalit required to become PM? Why can you not select on merit or count service in the party? Simply proposing a name in a meeting won’t work. I have got a responsibility. My party, the people who elected me as the party president decide what role I play. Our leader Sonia Gandhi is there. But first, we have to get a majority and only then does the question of the PM post arise. Simply proposing does not make you PM.”

Of late, the one thing lacking in the Congress Party has been wisdom and Kharge with his response has proved that he at least is worthy of his position as President of the Congress Party although the remote might be in the hands of the Gandhis.