Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached out to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday amid growing speculation of rifts within the India bloc ahead of the upcoming general elections. While the details of their conversation are yet to be disclosed, it is believed to be related to the fallout from Wednesday’s meeting, where Nitish Kumar felt sidelined in the group’s leadership discussions.
Sources suggest that Nitish Kumar clashed with INDIA leaders during the meeting, raising objections to various issues, including the proposal to rename the bloc as ‘Bharat,’ a suggestion promptly dismissed by Congress’ Sonia Gandhi. Tensions escalated further when he reportedly expressed displeasure with Manoj Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal for translating his speech from Hindi to Tamil for DMK leaders.
The Bihar Chief Minister also voiced his dissatisfaction with the Congress following its poor performance in the recent Assembly polls. The Congress faced setbacks in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, key states that INDIA aims to win to challenge the BJP, highlighting internal challenges within the opposition alliance.
At the Delhi meet, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal stirred controversy by proposing Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as a potential convener and even Prime Minister if INDIA manages to defeat the BJP in 2024. Nitish Kumar, who is privately considered an aspirant for the top job, was caught off guard by this move and reportedly left the meeting discontent.
The “Kharge for PM” episode has added to the existing turmoil within INDIA, created to unite the opposition against the BJP. Nitish Kumar, a key figure in the bloc, leaving the meeting with apparent dissatisfaction poses an image problem for INDIA so close to the elections.
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