Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP is all set to replace Ghulam Nabi Azad as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. This comes after Ghulam Nabi Azad retires from the Rajya Sabha on February 15, 2021.
Former Lok Sabha Leader To Replace Ghulam Nabi Azad
As per the latest reports, Congress Member of Parliament Mallikarjun Kharge is ready to take up the position of the Opposition Leader in Rajya Sabha. The sources in the Congress said that Sonia Gandhi as the Chairman of the Congress Parliamentary Party has written to the Chairman.
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They said that Sonia Gandhi has reportedly written to the Chairman to appoint Kharge as the next Leader of Opposition. However, there is no official information regarding the appointment. The party is yet to receive confirmation from the Chairman of the Upper House office.
Who is Mallikarjun Kharge?
Mallikharjun Kharge was the leader of the Congress in the last Lok Sabha. He was also the Union Minister during the Manmohan Singh government. He further has a long standing career in politics.
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Kharge also emerged as a leader from the Dalit Community and was a minister during the Congress rule in Karnataka. Some sources suggest that the because Kharge is from the Dalit community and from a “politically crucial state of Karnataka”, Kharge could be a top choice as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Furthermore, Kharge is in close ties with both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Ghulam Nabi Azad Receives an Emotional Farewell from PM Narendra Modi
Ghulam Nabi Azad will be retiring as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha on February 15, 2021. A few days back during a session in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became emotional as bid adieu to Azad.
In his farewell speech for Azad, he said that he had known Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad for a long time. They were Chief Ministers together and had long interactions. He said that he had known “Azad Sahab” even before becoming the Chief Minister as he was very active in politics.
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PM Modi revealed that Azad Sahab has a passion for gardening which not many people know about. Remembering the old days, PM Modi spoke about the attacks on Jammu and Kashmir in 2007 on the visitors from Gujarat. He said that Azad Sahab was the first to inform him of the incident and couldn’t stop his tears. He added that he would never forget Shri Azad’s and Pranab Mukherjee’s efforts in helping the people from Gujarat while they were stuck in Kashmir during the Terror attacks.
He said Azab Sahab was as concerned about the people as anyone would be concerned about their family. PM Modi got teary eyed as he reminisced the old times with “Azad Sahab”.
After the farewell from Rajya Sabha, Azad said that the people will see him at a lot of places because he is free now. However, he has no intention of holding any position in the party or becoming a MP. He said that he is satisfied with his political affiliations and will continue to serve the public.
