Kharge Kindles Kinetics of Congress Camaraderie with Bumps

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Rahul Celebrates Kharge’s 2-year as Congress Prez with Cake Cutting

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, October 27: Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge cut cake to celebrate two years at helm of the principal Opposition party. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi drove to his residence for a warm embrace of Kharge.

“Your leadership strengthened the party’s resolve to serve the people. Your struggle and experience inspire us. Your guidance is invaluable for every justice warrior to protect the Constitution and the interests of the people,” said Rahul Gandhi in a post on X, tagging a video of cutting a chocolate cake with Kharge.

Rahul Gandhi held Kharge in a tight embrace while also locking fists in an emphatic demonstration of warmth between the two leaders. Kharge had succeeded Sonia Gandhi, then interim president of the Congress, two years ago.

Also Read: Congress ‘Cares’ for Allies in Polls with Retreats

Kharge in his stewardship reversed the dipping electoral fortunes of the Congress. The principal Opposition party returned to winning ways in elections.

On the watch of Kharge, the Congress wrested powers in Karnataka and Telangana. The Congress also returned to power in Himachal Pradesh. The Congress also lost powers in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan last year.

Kharge brought shines on Rahul Gandhi with an extraordinary turn of good fortunes in the Lok Sabha elections this year. The Congress won 99 Lok Sabha seats to bag the status of the Opposition party in the lower house of parliament after a gap of 10 years.

Kharge’s Dalit credentials disarmed detractors of the hold of the Gandhi family in the Congress. The anti-Gandhi family lobby vanished quickly after Kharge became president of the Congress.

Harish Khare, press advisor to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, argued the case that Kharge could even be the PM candidate of the Opposition bloc. The Indian National Developmental and Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) showed sanguine interests in Kharge’s leadership.

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While Kharge-led Congress is at the centre stage of the Opposition bloc, the allies are treating the principal Opposition party with disdain. Political observers noted the Congress not becoming part of the Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress was the key constituent of the pre-poll alliance led by the National Conference. The allies in Maharashtra forced the Congress to cede more spaces for them.

Kharge also could not act timely to arrest the factionalism in the Haryana unit of the congress. Political observers pinned blame on the one-upmanship of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for losing the state Assembly elections.

Yet, Kharge’s successes in Karnataka and Telangana brought hope in the Congress. The southern comforts of the Congress came on the watch of Kharge.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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