New Delhi:
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — who declared yesterday that the INDIA bloc will not take a call on its Prime Ministerial candidate until after the Lok Sabha election — took a 180-degree turn today by proposing Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s name for the position.
Sources said Ms Banerjee made the proposal at the ongoing meet of the Opposition bloc. Mr Kharge being a prominent Dalit face in the Opposition, the plan got widespread approval.
Twelve of the participating parties, sources said, applauded the plan. Even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal — known for being mostly out-of-sync with the Congress — seconded the idea.
Mr Kharge, however, poured cold water on the plan with a polite refusal, sources said. He said he only wants to work for the downtrodden.
The Opposition has faced sharp criticism from the ruling BJP for fielding a candidate against Ramnath Kovind and Droupadi Murmu — members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes — during the Presidential election. The BJP has accused the Congress and the other parties of being against Dalits and tribals.
