Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, claiming that the coalition government at the Centre was formed by mistake and could collapse at any moment.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 240 seats, falling short of the 272 majority mark and relying on allies to form the government. “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. Let it be good for the country. We should work together to strengthen the country. But our Prime Minister is habitual of not letting something go on well to continue. But we will cooperate towards strengthening the country,” Kharge stated.
Kharge’s comments drew immediate reactions from political opponents in Bihar. JDU representatives reminded Kharge of the track record of Congress-led coalition governments, while RJD supported Kharge’s position.
Former Bihar IPRD minister and JDU MLC Neeraj Kumar questioned Kharge’s understanding of political history, pointing to the Congress-led governments of PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. In the 1991 general election, the Congress won a similar number of seats as the BJP did in 2024, and managed to form a minority government under Narasimha Rao. Rao later consolidated power by engineering splits in smaller parties.
Kumar asked if Kharge was unacquainted with the Congress’s legacy. “Congress is now stuck in ’99 ka Chakkar,'” Kumar remarked.
Meanwhile, RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad backed Kharge’s assertions, saying, “Kharge is right! Popular mandate was against the Modi government. Voters didn’t accept him. Still, he rose to power.”
