Modi-led NDA govt formed by mistake, can fall anytime, claims Kharge
Further, Kharge called the ruling regime a "minority" government and said that 'Modiji' doesn’t have the mandate of the people
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the NDA government, claiming that it was formed by “mistake and can fall anytime.”
Calling it a "minority" government, he pointed out that Modiji doesn’t have the people's mandate.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 240 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 272. Therefore, the party had to rely on its allies to form the government.
Further, Kharge talking to reporters in Bengaluru on Friday (June 14) added that the Congress would like the government to continue for the good of the country.
“Let it be good for the country. We should work together to strengthen the country. But our Prime Minister is habitual of not letting something go on well to continue. But we will cooperate towards strengthening the country...,” he said.
Kharge’s remarks came in the wake of speculation that BJP is putting up a brave front but is struggling to keep its allies together.
Unlike in 2014 and 2019, the BJP has won just 240 seats. And the Modi-led BJP has to rely on its allies like the JD(U) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which have 28 lawmakers together. Their support has been crucial to the BJP’s return to power for a third time in a row.
Besides N Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, which has won 16 seats, Nitish Kumar's JDU (12), the BJP is also depending on Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena (7) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (5)
JD(U) hits back
Reacting to Kharge’s remark, former Bihar IPRD minister and JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar asked Kharge for the scorecards of the Congess-led governments of PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.
He is referring to the 1991 Lok Sabha elections when Congress won a similar number of seats as the BJP has done in 2024. Without a clear majority, the Congress, however, formed a minority government under PV Narasimha Rao.
Rao then engineered a split into smaller parties, turning a minority Congress into a majority party within two years.
Kumar questioned Kharge if he was unacquainted with the Congress's legacy. "Congress is now stuck in "99 ka Chakkar".
Meanwhile, Congress ally RJD stood by Kharge’s statement. Claiming that Kharge is right, RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad said the popular mandate was against the Modi government.
"Voters didn’t accept him. Still, he rose to power," said Ahmad.