Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday emerged as the consensus choice for the I.N.D.I.A chairperson’s post but a formal announcement was delayed after apprehensions on how Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee responds to appointing Nitish Kumar as the Convenor.
Unanimity over the names emerged at an online meeting of top leaders of around ten I.N.D.I.A parties, though leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray and Akhilesh Yadav were absent. While Uddhav and Akhilesh are not opposed to the names, Mamata is said to have earlier communicated her opposition to naming Nitish as Convenor or bloc’s Prime Ministerial face.
The meeting came a day ahead of Congress’ ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ from Manipur. In Imphal, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh refused to respond to queries on Kharge emerging as I.N.D.I.A chairperson.
Sources said a decision was taken at the meeting chaired by Kharge not to announce the names officially before talking to Mamata and other leaders. Congress was also against announcing only Kharge’s name and insisted that a declaration will come only when names for both the posts are finalised.
At least three top Opposition leaders told DH that there will be no “rethink” on Nitish and finally his name will be announced along with Kharge. When asked, a senior Trinamool Congress leader asked, “where is the official announcement?”
At the meeting, sources said, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury asked whether they would be discussing filling up posts of chairperson and convenor and suggested the names of Kharge and Nitish. Leaders attending the meeting, including NCP’s Sharad Pawar, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal and CPI’s D Raja, were in agreement.
However, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi sounded caution saying that Mamata’s opinion should be taken and there was a need to talk to her before making an announcement. He told the leaders that the West Bengal Chief Minister has already indicated her reservations following which there was a discussion on how to deal with it.
Sources said former JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan ‘Lalan’ Singh, who was present in the online meeting with Nitish, said the Bihar Chief Minister or his party is not an “aspirant”. Nitish told the meeting that anybody can be the Convenor and suggested that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who was also attending the meeting, should be made the Convenor.
While some leaders were insisting that an announcement should be made soon after the meeting, sources said Congress wanted to play it slow. They were of the view that it was a “majority view” and it should be conveyed.
Sources said Kharge as well as Pawar and Kejriwal could dial Mamata to convince her to agree to the "majority decision".
Indicating its uneasiness with seat sharing exercise in West Bengal as well as the exercise to anoint Nitish as Convenor, Trinamool Congress sources on Friday had said that Mamata will not attend the online meeting as she was informed very late about the meeting and that she had preoccupations.