'Who is this Kharge-Varge?': JDU MLA wants Nitish Kumar as opposition PM face

Not all is well within the INDI alliance. Nitish Kumar's party JDU has once again expressed displeasure over Kharge as the Prime Ministerial face. Days after JDU leaders expressed reservation on the bloc's top PM pick, another JDU MLA has now come out in public, openly criticising Mallikarjun Kharge. “Who is this Kharge - Varge? Nobody knows Kharge! You told me he is Congress president! Public knows Nitish ji. Nitish ji will be PM. Who knows Kharge-Varge”, said JDU MLA Gopal Mandal, speaking to a media outlet. The video was tweeted by BJP's Shehzad Poonawala as he pulled up the INDI bloc over "No vision, no mission, only ambition, only corruption, only commission".

Nitish Kumar brought the INDI alliance togethers, claims JDU MLA

"Nitish Kumar was the convenor when the alliance was name INDIA," claimed Mandal, adding, "They should Kumar as the PM face. Congress party is not worth trusting."

JDU leaders unhappy with Kharge as PM face

JDU is the alliance's key partner in Bihar, which is essential for the opposition's hope of putting up any fight with the BJP in the Hindi heartland. Soon after Kharge's name was put forward, many JDU leaders put up posters and flashed placards all across the state, demanding Kumar's name to be proposed as the PM face. Posters stating "Desh Mange Nitish Kumar 2024 Mein" (The nation wants Nitish Kumar in 2024). Banners claiming Kumar as the only "guarantee of victory" were also put up.

Meanwhile, Kumar has not broken his silence yet over Kharge's name being proposed as INDI alliance's PM candidate. The proposal was put forward by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and was subsequently backed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. However, Kumar snapping at DMK MP T.R. Baalu for asking for translation over his Hind speech at the INDI meet or his MP Sunil Kumar Pintu slamming the alliance for not arranging tea and samosa doesn't bode well for the opposition. It seems that as the Lok Sabha election approaches, the INDI alliance partners are more keen on washing their dirty linen in public.