BREAKING | 'Kharge for PM' call: Rahul dials 'miffed' Nitish, say sources

New Delhi: Amid reports that Nitish Kumar got miffed as Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee proposed Mallikarjun Kharge's name for PM, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached out to the Bihar Chief Minister.  However, Gandhi could not speak to the Janata Dal (United) supremo since he was in a meeting, sources said. 

Earlier Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tried to placate his Bihar counterpart but got no response.

What Happened at Fourth Meeting of INDI Alliance

For the unversed, at the fourth meeting of the INDI alliance, Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener proposed Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's name for the opposition's Prime Ministerial face for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Kharge however stated that the PM issue should be discussed later.

“Will discuss the PM issue later. I work for the downtrodden. Let's win first, then we will see. I don't seek anything. For now, we have passed a resolution that the suspension of MPs is undemocratic. We have passed a resolution that suspension is undemocratic. We will all have to fight to save democracy and all of us are ready to do that. We raised the issue of a security breach in the Parliament", said Kharge.  

Nitish Denies PM Aspirations 

Despite Nitish Kumar publicly denying any prime ministerial aspirations, there is speculation that he harbours such ambitions privately. His party, the JDU, has been more explicit in its support, with party leaders endorsing Nitish Kumar for the country's top job in August and September. Earlier this month, they asserted that he (Nitish) possesses "all the qualities and experience that a PM should have." However, the JDU was careful to emphasise that any decision about the prime ministerial candidate should be a collective one.