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New Delhi, August 30, 2023

To give the command to Kharge is a masterstroke of  I.N.D.I.A

Pradeep Mathur

Is it true that the ruling BJP, its supremo Prime Minister Modi and principal strategist Amit Shah, who likes to be called a modern day Chanakya have made some terrible miscalculation which may cause them dearly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The question is not in public domain so far and the BJP-RSS think-tank will never admit it publicly. But it is quite apparent that the intense over 9-year campaign of the saffron brigade to run down Nehru, target Sonia Gandhi and her family and lampoon Rahul Gandhi has now hit a dead end. 

In a masterstroke by the Gandhi family nullifying all their calculations, Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that neither he nor anyone from the Gandhi family is going to be the face of the Opposition group of 26 party alliance known as I.N.D.I.A to challenge Modi in the 2024 elections.

Those among the media and the BJP who had been asking who would be the Dulha in the Opposition seem to have got the answer.

The man who has been almost accepted by all the parties to lead the charge against the BJP and slated to be chosen for this challenge  at the two day Opposition conclave in Mumbai beginning tomorrow is Mallikarjun Kharge, a tough nut to crack for the entire BJP and RSS army.

The 81- year- old, Dalit leader from Karnataka who heads the Congress now after winning an election to the post is a seasoned politician who has not only revived the party with his organizational skills, but has filled the dormant Congress with vigor and vitality. His list of CWC members which includes people like Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma proves that he can carry everyone together.

Not only this with his quiet diplomacy Kharge has brought about cohesion and unity in the Opposition ranks with a little help from Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav. Nobody thought that he would be able to resolve sharp contradictions between Congress and other Opposition parties  so  smoothly and bring them all on a powerful anti-BJP platform now called INDIA.

In both the 2014 as well as in 2019 General elections, BJP obtained absolute majority in the Lok Sabha, polling less than 38% of the total votes polled. Apparently, the BJP's much hyped victories were made possible because of the split in the Opposition votes.

A united Opposition front is led by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge is not the only worry of the BJP leadership. The problem is that they cannot attack Kharge as they could attack Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad and Kejriwal. For one , they have no corruption or any other charges against Kharge, who has suddenly appeared as a dark horse, and there is no time left to build a campaign against him.

Then as far as political attack and counter attack is concerned he is a sharp shooter. His attacks on the BJP in general and Modi in particular are lethal both in and outside Parliament. 

But more than this, the BJP leadership cannot afford to attack Kharge as he is a Dalit and the BJP cannot risk it's carefully cultivated base among the 20% strong Dalit electorate spread all over the county. Any malicious campaign against Kharge will severely damage whatever little base that is left with the BJP in South India.

To give the command to Kharge is the most brilliant strategy of the Opposition in its grim electoral battle with the ruling party. And this is what Opposition leaders seems to have done showing maturity and good political sense.

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