Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the coalition government at the Centre was formed by mistake and could collapse at any time. His remarks come in the wake of the BJP’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where they secured 240 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 272, and had to rely on allies to form the government.
Kharge remarked, “The NDA government has been formed by mistake. Modi ji doesn’t have the mandate. It’s a minority government. This government can fall anytime. We would like it to continue for the country’s good. We should work together to strengthen the country. But our Prime Minister is used to not letting things continue smoothly. However, we will cooperate towards strengthening the country.”
Kharge’s comments quickly drew responses from political opponents in Bihar. Neeraj Kumar, a former Bihar IPRD minister and JDU MLC, questioned Kharge’s understanding of the situation, comparing the current scenario to the Congress-led governments of PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. He highlighted that in the 1991 general election, Congress won a similar number of seats as the BJP did in 2024. Without a clear majority, Congress formed a minority government under PV Narasimha Rao, who then engineered a split into smaller parties, turning a minority Congress into a majority party within two years.
Kumar suggested that Kharge might be forgetting Congress’s history, stating, “Congress is now stuck in ’99 ka Chakkar’.”
Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) stood by Kharge amidst the NDA’s criticism. RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad supported Kharge’s view, saying, “Kharge is right! The popular mandate was against the Modi government. Voters didn’t accept him. Still, he rose to power.”
Kharge’s comments have intensified the political discourse, with various parties weighing in on the stability and mandate of the current government. As the debate continues, both the Congress and its allies, along with the opposition, are expected to further articulate their stances on the future of the NDA government and the broader implications for India’s political landscape.