Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, stating that the coalition government at the Centre was formed by mistake and could collapse at any time.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP 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."
NDA Leaders React To Kharge's Remarks
Kharge's comments received a quick response from political opponents in Bihar.
JDU reminded Kharge of the performance of Congress-led coalition prime ministers, while RJD supported his view.
Former Bihar IPRD minister and JDU MLC Neeraj Kumar questioned Kharge’s understanding, comparing the current scenario to the Congress-led governments of PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.
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. Rao then engineered a split into smaller parties, turning a minority Congress into a majority party within two years.
Kumar suggested Kharge might be forgetting Congress's history, stating, "Congress is now stuck in '99 ka Chakkar'."
Meanwhile, the RJD stood by Kharge amidst the NDA's criticism. RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad supported Kharge, saying, "Kharge is right! The popular mandate was against the Modi government. Voters didn’t accept him. Still, he rose to power."
