Kharge highlights Sonia Gandhi's editorial on PM Modi, says "preaching consensus, provoking confrontation"

Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge highlighting a part of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's editorial in news daily accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "preaching consensus, provoking confrontation"

Highlighting an editorial by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in a leading English daily, Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition and party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not "reflecting" on the message given to him by voters in the recent parliamentary elections. "'There is no evidence that the Prime Minister has come to terms with the electoral outcome or has reflected on the message sent to him by voters', writes CPP Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi," posted Kharge on social media platform X today.

Alongside his tweet, Kharge also attached the news article tilted "Preaching consensus, provoking confrontation," written by the Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary party. In her editorial in the English news daily, Gandhi claimed that the PM's third term was not part of the electoral outcome as there is no evidence to prove it.

Notably, in the 2024 general elections, BJP victory tally was much lower than its 2019 tally of 303 and the 282 seats it had won in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 that it had won in 2019 and 44 seats in 2014. On Friday during Rajya Sabha proceedings Kharge and other oppostion members entered the well of the House resulting in adjournment of the Upper House. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he was pained over the conduct of Kharge.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said that the Opposition was trying to draw the government's attention to concerns of lakhs of students who have appeared in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) exam with CBI now probing the allegations of paper leak. "It is his (Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's) mistake...I went inside to draw his attention. But even then he was not looking... I was drawing attention. He was only looking at the ruling party. When I draw his attention as per the rules, he should look at me, but instead, he deliberately ignored me to insult me. So what was left for me? So to draw attention I would have to either go inside or shout very loudly. So I will definitely say that it is Chairman Sahab's mistake. I say that he should not do this and should maintain the dignity of this Rajya Sabha...There have been such big scams, NEET exam, the paper has been leaked, lakhs of children are worried," Kharge told ANI.

"So to draw attention to the problem of people, we asked for a specific discussion. We did not want to disturb anyone, we only wanted to raise the issues of the students...But he did not give it a chance, did not even pay attention to it and that is why we had to do this," Kharge added. The first session of 18th Lok Sabha began on June 24 with new members taking oath. Rajya Sabha session started on June 27. (ANI)

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