New Delhi: After West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee proposed the name of Congress chief Mallilkarjun Kharge as the PM face of the I.N.D.I.A alliance, Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday said that it is TMC supremo and Arvind Kejriwal's plan to trap Kharge in the 'chakravyuh' to oust Rahul Gandhi.
Earlier today, Banerjee proposed the name of Kharge for the top post at the meeting of the Opposition bloc. AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has also backed the proposal.
Speaking to PTI, Singh said, "They (Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal) have tried to trap Mallikarjun Kharge in the 'chakravyuh' to oust Rahul Gandhi."
On the suspension of Opposition MPs discussed at the I.N.D.I.A alliance meeting, Giriraj Singh said, "This was nothing but the fourth meeting of the photo session. Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar were not even present at the photo session, they boycotted it. What will become of that INDI Alliance? It is a total failure. They just eat, get photos clicked and leave."
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said that Banerjee did the right thing by proposing Kharge's name for the top post in the opposition meeting.
He said, "To take Congress forward, they did some experiments in the past and they succeeded in it. Whether they made PV Narasimha Rao or Manmohan Singh the PM. PV Narasimha Rao remained PM for 5 years, and Manmohan Singh was the PM for 10 years. But as soon as Sonia Gandhi put forward Rahul Gandhi, after 2009 everyone has forgotten everything. If he (Mallikarjun Kharge) has come back to strengthen the Congress again then it is a good thing."
"I will ask my Leader of Opposition too that if they want to keep the Congress alive in Haryana, then they should bring someone else, if they keep following Deepender (Hooda), then the situation here would also be like it is there (Delhi)," he further added.
Kharge has, however, declined the proposal saying that the main focus should be on winning the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
"Our priority is to win first. Who becomes the PM can be discussed later. If MPs are not there, what is the use of talking about the PM? We should first try to fight unitedly and bring majority," Kharge said in response to media queries on reports suggesting that Bengal CM proposed his name as the PM face of the I.N.D.I.A alliance.
I.N.D.I.A bloc on Tuesday held a crucial meeting in the national capital, during which opposition leaders discussed various issues, including seat-sharing, a single campaign blueprint, and chalking out a strategy to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.