“No matter what, Mallikarjun Kharge should be made Chief Minister at least now.
He has already crossed 83 years of age. People who have shown such long-standing loyalty and dedication to the party are extremely rare. Kharge should have become Chief Minister during S.M. Krishna’s tenure itself. If not then, he should have been given the opportunity later at least. Even his contemporary and close friend Dharam Singh, who belonged to Karnataka’s micro-minority Rajput community, was given a chance to become Chief Minister. But Kharge, who belongs to the Dalit community — one of Karnataka’s largest communities — has not been given even a single opportunity. This may remain a black mark in the history of the Congress party.
He is no ordinary leader. Born as the son of a very poor mill worker, he rose through immense hardship, became an MLA nine times, served multiple terms as an MP, led the KPCC, and later became AICC president, leaving an indelible mark as a leader. Talk of becoming Prime Minister can come later. Right now, the best opportunity before Congress is to make Kharge the Chief Minister, at least for the remaining two years.
Congress should make proper use of this opportunity. Otherwise, the statement that ‘even when Congress had every opportunity to make a Dalit leader Chief Minister, it denied him that chance’ will remain a dark stain in the pages of Congress history for a long time. Rahul Gandhi tying Kharge’s shoelaces will not be what history remembers.
— Ismath Pajeer”
