News Analysis India

Tag: Mallikarjun Kharge

  • Congress chief Sonia Gandhi forms panel to check on Prashant Kishor’s strategy paper for 2024 polls

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has formed a three-member committee comprising party veterans AK Antony, Ambika Soni and Mallikarjun Kharge to examine election strategist Prashant Kishor’s strategy paper for contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The committee has been asked to submit its report in a week.

    Kishor had made a three-hour presentation at Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s residence on April 16. It was attended by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, General secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and senior leaders AK Antony, Ambika Soni, Mallikarjun Kharge, Digvijay Singh, Mukul Wasnik, KC Venugopal,  Jairam Ramesh and Ajay Maken, besides the Congress president.

    In the presentation, Kishor outlined the mistakes the party has been making and presented an alternative plan that could help the party succeed at the hustings.

    Among his suggestions was to focus party resources on winnable seats, which he said were only 370 out of Lok Sabha’s total strength of 543. He said Congress is a great product which lacks proper marketing. He was particularly critical of the party’s media strategy.

    He brushed aside the rising communal polarization as an insignificant issue and said it could be countered by galvanizing and empowering workers at the booth level. He said the party should fight on its own in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and enter into alliance in states like Andhra, Telangana, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

    After the presentation, Sonia asked the leaders about their opinion on the presentation. Sources said Digvijay Singh and AK Antony appeared not very impressed by the proposal. Digvijay said this is exactly what the party had said after its last two chintan shivirs at Pachmarhi and Shimla. Antony said most of the points mentioned in the proposal were similar to those he had mentioned in his report after the party’s loss in 2014.

    The response of others was muted. But Jairam Ramesh was full of praise for the ideas presented by Kishor and said they were worth trying.

    Kishor faced an awkward moment during the meeting. When he referred to media reports about his appointment as Congress general secretary, and said he is not hankering after any party position, Kharge cut him off and said “PK, didn’t you come to me asking me to recommend you to be made Congress vice-president.”

    After the meeting Congress leaders said it was now certain that Kishor would join the party. He may, however, not get the number two slot in the party. Going by what Kharge said during the meeting and what key party functionaries feel, Kishor had been bargaining for a post next to only the Congress president. He is reportedly keen on reporting only to the Congress president.

    Congress sources said some leaders were of the view that before giving him full responsibility of strategizing the 2024 general elections, he should be asked to prove the efficacy of his plan in the impending state elections.

    “Elections are due in over a dozen states before the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Congress holds a little over 400 seats out of the 1500 plus seats in these states. Let him first help the party improve its tally in these states before taking a big bite,” said a senior Congress leader.

    Kishor has already announced that he would be part of a political party by May 2, when his sabbatical ends.

  • Youth should be given priority, encouragement in Congress: Mallikarjun Kharge

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday called upon the party leadership to give priority and encouragement to youth in the outfit.

    He said today’s youth are unaware of Congress’ contribution to the country and it was important to educate them about the past.

    “I want to say one thing, we have to give priority to youth today. Surjewala saab (Congress General Secretary and AICC in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala), the youth should get utmost encouragement in the party,” Kharge said.

    Addressing party workers and supporters here, he pointed out that Gopal Krishna Gokhale had become AICC president at the age of 39, Rajiv Gandhi at 41, Indira Gandhi at 42, and Subash Chandra Boase at 41.

    “When AICC people could go to big positions at the age of 41, 40, 39, can’t we place youth at good positions in the state and give powers to them to take the party’s ideologies, policies and work to the people? Bringing forward youth is important for this,” he added.

    The veteran Congress leader was speaking at an event, where senior legislator and former minister M B Patil took charge as chairperson of the campaign committee of the Karnataka Congress.

    His statement gains significance, with assembly polls next year, in which the party is aiming to come back to power.

    Noting that he became city president of the party and MLA at the age of 27 and minister at 30, Kharge said the times then were different, adding, that it is now time to repeat the same and give opportunity to the youth and get work extracted from them.

    Observing that there are certain issues concerning the membership drive of the Congress, he advised leaders to rectify it and strengthen the party.

    Further, highlighting that people today are unaware of Congress’ programmes and work, Kharge said, “Youth today are questioning our contribution. They are doing it, as they got freedom easily, got programmes easily. Medical colleges, engineering colleges, AIIMS, IIT. They are today standing against us. We have to inform them (the facts) and make them aware.”

  • PM Modi has misused Parliament for political gains: Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi misused the Parliament for political gains.

    Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, “The Prime Minister was only attacking Congress and was not answering questions raised by the party. Congress party raised issues like China’s extreme aggression, rising inflation in the country, unemployment, crisis arising out of Pegasus and COVID-19 in front of the government, but the Prime Minister did not say anything on these issues.”

    He further slammed the Prime Minister stating that he should have kept in mind the dignity of the post he is occupying.

    “The Prime Minister should have kept in mind the dignity of the post but he talked only on those issues which can be used for elections in five states, if there is any hate and anger against Congress, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Rahul Gandhi, he can speak these things outside the House and should have responded to the issues raised by the Congress in the House. But the Prime Minister has misused the House for electoral gains.

    The Congress leader further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to divide the country on the basis of religion. “Since independence till now all the people in the country are living together, in a democracy, all the people are voting which is because of the contribution of the Congress party. Whereas the mindset of the BJP is to divide the country on the basis of religion because they do not want to keep the country united,” he added.

    Earlier in a scathing attack on the grand old party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that Congress’s thinking has been hijacked by ‘urban Naxals’.

    Prime Minister said that if there was no Congress, there would have been no Emergency, no caste politics, and Sikhs would never have been massacred in Delhi and the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits would not have happened.

    He also said that former prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to maintain his image at the international level, Goa had to remain under the imperial rule for years.

  • Rajya Sabha adjourned amid Opposition protest over 12 MPs’ suspension, Nagaland firing

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for about 50 minutes till 12 noon on Monday amid protest by some opposition members soon after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu called for the first Zero Hour mention.

    After the listed papers were laid on the table in the House, Leader of Opposition and senior Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge demanded a statement from the Home Minister on the Nagaland firing incident.

    Naidu said it is a very serious issue, and he has spoken to the defence minister and the home minister on it.

    The chairman said the home minister has informed that he will make a statement on the issue this afternoon.

    As the Chairman called for the first Zero Hour (where matters are raised with the permission of the Chair) mention, some members wanted to raise their points.

    Naidu tried to carry on with the Zero Hour, but the protest continued.

    “The House is adjourned sacrificing Zero Hour, public issues because of some people are not cooperating,” he said, and adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.

    Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and other Opposition MPs raised slogans in front of Gandhi statue in Parliament complex and demanded that the suspension of the MPs be revoked.

    The 12 opposition MPs — six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M) — were suspended from the Rajya Sabha last Monday for the entire Winter Session of Parliament for their “unruly” conduct in the previous session in August.

    The Opposition has termed the suspension as “undemocratic and in violation of all the Rules of Procedure” of the Upper House.

    The 12 suspended MPs have been sitting in protest against their suspension, which they claim is against the rules.

  • Congress’ aim to defeat BJP but some people only help them: Kharge on Mamata’s ‘no UPA’ remark

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Criticizing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “there is no UPA”, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that Congress’ aim is to defeat BJP while some people are only helping the ruling party at the Centre.

    Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, “Mamata Banerjee is absolutely wrong that the UPA does not exist. It is also wrong to launch personal attacks on Rahul Gandhi. Mamata Banerjee’s allegation that Rahul ji is not visible anywhere is wrong. Congress is raising every issue and is fighting everywhere. Our aim is to defeat BJP but some people are helping that party only. Congress is in power in many states and also in Opposition in some places.

    “We have tried to include them (TMC) in various socio-political issues where Congress made its name. The opposition should not get divided and fight amongst themselves. We have to fight against BJP together,” added the senior Congress leader.

    “What is UPA? There is no UPA,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday after meeting with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday.

    The TMC chief’s statement on the UPA was made during her three-day visit to Maharashtra’s capital city during which she met leaders of the NCP and Shiv Sena. 

  • RS ruckus: Mallikarjun Kharge says govt used women marshals to frame Opposition MPs

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Launching a major offensive on the government over the issue of ruckus in Rajya Sabha on the last day of the monsoon session, Leader of Opposition in the house Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday alleged that women marshals were used to “blame and frame” the Opposition MPs.

    In an interview with PTI, Kharge said he hoped Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu would be impartial while deciding on the matter as putting the blame on one party would be unfair.

    The Congress veteran also said the BJP is now showing its true colours after getting a majority in both the houses and wanted to run Parliament with autocracy while bulldozing the bills.

    “The government used women marshals to blame the opposition and to frame them if something happened, in order to put them (MPs) on the wrong side,” Kharge told PTI.

    “Their attitude was to tarnish the image of the opposition,” he alleged.

    The Congress MP said the government created a “fort” in Rajya Sabha on August 11 and used force for the passage of the Insurance amendment bill, as they want to hand over state-run insurance companies to their businessmen friends.

    Asked what he thinks of the government’s demands for exemplary action against unruly opposition MPs, Kharge said “We will see when the action comes. Our members have also suffered injuries. We expect the chairman to be impartial.”

    The senior Congress leader said the government “wants to blame the opposition and there cannot be an impartial view if one opposition party is blamed like this.”

    Squarely blaming the NDA government for the washout of the recent monsoon session, Kharge said it was due to the Opposition’s cooperation that Parliament saw higher productivity in the previous sessions.

    “Parliament’s productivity was much lower during the Congress-led UPA time when BJP was in opposition,” Kharge said.

    He said while the productivity of Parliament under BJP rule is 90 per cent, it was only around 65 per cent during the UPA time when the BJP was in the opposition.

    On the unruly events of August 11, Kharge said after adjourning the upper house briefly following the passage of the OBC bill, the government immediately mobilised 40-50 marshals including women marshals.

    “They created a fort inside the house. The Chair normally calls marshals when there is disturbance and violence but here they did so even before the insurance bill was taken up and used them for the introduction, discussion and passage of the bill,” the Congress leader said.

    He alleged that the government used force to push the legislative agenda.

    “The government deployed women marshals ahead of male marshals so that even if anyone, by mistake, touched female security personnel, they could blame and frame the opposition MPs,” he said.

    “It is clear that the government is not running the house democratically. They want to be autocratic and bulldoze their agenda because they have the majority in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

    They did not behave like this when the opposition had higher numbers in the upper house,” Kharge said, accusing the government of using “muscle power”.

    “After getting more numbers in Parliament, the government is now showing its true colours and is trying to put the blame on us,” Kharge said.

  • Alleged manhandling of women MPs: Opposition to protest in front of Gandhi Statue at Parliament on Thursday

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: The MPs of Opposition parties will hold a protest against the alleged manhandling of women members in Rajya Sabha in front of Mahatma Gandhi Statue at Parliament today.

    Before the protest, the floor leaders of Opposition parties in both the Houses will hold a meeting in the Chamber of Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha at 10 am to discuss the incidents that happened in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

    Opposition members in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday slammed the government over the incidents in the House when a bill related to insurance businesses was taken up for passage with NCP leader Sharad Pawar alleging that “women MPs were attacked” and “more than 40 men and women were brought into the House from outside to control the MPs”.

    Pawar termed the incidents as “painful” and an “attack on democracy” and said he has never seen such an incident in his 55 years of parliamentary life.

    Several other opposition members including Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Derek O’ Brien also slammed the government.

    “In my 55 years of parliamentary career, I never saw the way the women MPs were attacked today in Rajya Sabha. More than 40 men and women were brought into the house from outside to control the MPs. It is painful. It is an attack on democracy,” Pawar said.

    Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the government alleging that the government talks of ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Padhao’ but attempts to crush the voice of women.She alleged that MPs were manhandled.

    “The way the Insurance Bill was passed was not right. We all were protesting because it is an anti-people bill. This will lead to privatisation. The way women MPs were manhandled and MPs were treated like goons, they were pushed and they were threatened to remain silent, is shameful. This is my first term. I was hoping to raise people’s voices in Parliament, but the Government made attempts to crush that too. On one hand, you say Beti Padhao, Beti Padhao and on the other hand, they make attempts to crush their voices,” Chaturvedi said.

    Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said marshals were used and Opposition women members were “manhandled”.He said if women are not safe in the Parliament, it raises questions on the way this government functions.

    “Today the government’s behaviour in the Rajya Sabha was inappropriate. It was decided that the bill will be discussed tomorrow and today we will focus on the OBC reservation Bill and pass Constitutional Amendment Bill. Unfortunately, they did not keep their promise and they moved the Insurance Bill today. All the Opposition parties protested because it will take away the jobs of many people and increase unemployment. Also, the money with the government’s insurance companies is going somewhere else and they are planning to divert that money,” Kharge said.

    “When the MPs were protesting, marshals were used and our women members were physically manhandled. You can yourself take an idea that if the women are not safe in the Parliament, then how this government might be functioning,” he added.

    Derek O’Brien accused the government of “bulldozing” 36 bills without any discussion or scrutiny.

    “Sharad Pawarji has said that in his 55 years of experience as a Parliamentarian, both in Opposition and in government, he has never witnessed something like this. Today’s incident was shameful. Only one bill was discussed. It’s a shame,” he said.

    The Opposition resorted to vociferous protests on Wednesday as the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 was taken up for consideration in the upper House after it passed a constitution amendment bill unanimously.

    The bill was moved for consideration and passing by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

    Protesting opposition members came to the well of the House and some of them were seen tearing papers.

    They accused the government of not following parliamentary norms and “bulldozing” the legislation. The Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill was taken up after the upper House unanimously passed the constitution amendment bill to enable states to prepare their own OBC lists.

    The opposition has also been protesting and forcing adjournments on their other demands including a probe into allegations of surveillance through Pegasus spyware and repeal of new farm laws.

    Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Wednesday, two days before the scheduled conclusion of the upper House of Parliament. Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die earlier in the day. (ANI)

  • Demand for debate can’t be silenced, says Kharge

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The Opposition on Thursday said that they cannot be intimidated into silence on the Pegasus and farmers’ issues and their united stand would not change in the face of attempts to crush their issues by threat, fear or pressure and would continue to fight.

    On the Rajya Sabha Chairman considering a complaint by Parliament’s woman security officer against a TMC MP for allegedly heckling her after being suspended for a day, Leader of Opposition in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge said that the suspended MPs did nothing wrong and were only showing placards.

    “The BJP doesn’t have tolerance. Suspension of six TMC members was wrong. They did nothing wrong and placards have been used earlier also. If attempts are made to crush and muzzle our issues by targeting us, using threats, fear, the Congress and united Opposition will not budge and will keep fighting,” said Kharge.

    Kharge said the Centre is blaming the Opposition for disruptions in the House and saying that they are not ready for discussion. “We are ready for discussion right now and let’s start it, but the government has not yet reached out to the Opposition and no notice has been sent for any meeting.”

    He cited past instances where Rule 267 discussions were allowed in Rajya Sabha and questioned why the government was escaping the Pegasus debate when several countries had ordered probes. “Disruption in Parliament is over the Pegasus issue. It’s an issue which impinges on national security and citizen freedom and privacy. Press, army, and judges have been named as potential targets. Why is the government running away?”

    The Leader of Opposition asked who has called a meeting. “Has the Leader of the House called anyone? The government is saying the Opposition doesn’t want to speak on farmers’ issues, inflation and people’s issues. This is not true. Precedent is there of discussions and yet they are not allowing a debate on Pegasus.”

  • Monsoon session: Rajya Sabha Opposition leaders meet to discuss floor strategy

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Floor leaders of “like-minded” Opposition parties are meeting at senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge’s office in Parliament on Wednesday to chalk out floor strategy.

    Both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned repeatedly on Tuesday amid ruckus by Opposition members over several key issues.

    ALSO READ: Congress MPs give adjournment notices to discuss Pegasus issue in Lok Sabha

    Earlier on Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called a breakfast meeting to discuss the strategy to take on the BJP-led government in the remaining part of the monsoon session of parliament on issues being raised by opposition including alleged surveillance through Pegasus spyware.

    Amid the continuous ruckus created by the Opposition over the ‘Pegasus Project’ issue, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been facing repeated adjournments during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

    The two Houses have been witnessing protests from the Opposition since the start of the monsoon session on July 19. 

  • ‘You are snooping on everyone’: Mallikarjun Kharge demands discussion on Pegasus in Parliament

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday reiterated the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the issue of alleged snooping using Pegasus spyware and said that the Central government does not want to go by the rules of the Constitution.

    Speaking to reporters here, he said that the Opposition leaders have decided to raise this issue.

    “They don’t want to go by the rules of the Constitution. You (central government) are snooping on everyone including army officials, journalists and election commissioners. I am glad that all party leaders have decided to raise this issue together,”

    “We want to have a discussion (on Pegasus snooping issue) within the law and order. Earlier they agreed on the discussion on the COVID-19 crisis but when we started with a discussion, they just gave a statement rather than having a discussion,” he said.

    Earlier in the day, Congress MP KC Venugopal gave notice under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha for suspension of business for the day to have a discussion in the presence of the Prime Minister or Home Minister on the Pegasus Project issue.

    The names of several Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi and 40 Indian journalists appeared on the leaked list of potential targets for surveillance by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware, according to reports published in The Wire.

    Speaking on Lok Sabha on June 19, the first day of the Monsoon session, Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that it is an attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions.

    He had said that in the past too, similar claims were made regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp and those reports too had no factual basis and were denied by all parties.

    The Minister also asserted that any form of illegal surveillance isn’t possible with “checks and balances in our laws and robust institutions.”