Cong-led alliance will come to power in '24: Kharge

New Delhi, February 21

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said an Opposition alliance would come to power in 2024 with the Congress leading the coalition.

The Congress has been “talking and sharing views” with parties on how to win the Lok Sabha elections, Kharge said while addressing an election rally at Dimapur in Nagaland. The remarks by Kharge underline the Congress’ assertion of taking the leadership of an alliance if one can be stitched up before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to take on the BJP.

It also comes days ahead of the party’s three-day plenary session in Raipur starting from February 24 and follows Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s appeal to the Congress to immediately take steps to forge Opposition unity to defeat the BJP.

Kharge’s assertion will also give a message to Trinamool Congress (TMC), BRS and AAP that are not particularly enthusiastic about the Congress taking the leadership role of an anti-BJP formation.

Speaking at the rally, Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of undermining democracy and said the PM should not forget that he is an elected representative and is not supposed to act like an autocrat or dictator.

“The people will teach you a lesson in 2024. An alliance government will come to power at the Centre. Congress will lead it. We are talking with other parties because otherwise, democracy and the Constitution cannot survive. The BJP will not get a majority,” Kharge said.

“Let hundreds of Modis and (Amit) Shahs come. This is India and the Constitution is strong,” the Congress president said. Ridiculing Modi’s earlier comment that he was having 56-inch chest, Kharge said nobody was interested to know the PM’s chest size and it would not matter even if Modi became slim. “The country cannot be made small or slim,” he said.

Kharge said the Congress is fighting BJP’s hate-driven agenda in Nagaland.