Why was Congress’ Dalit leader Kharge’s chair placed on the side? How much strength is there in BJP’s objection?

New Delhi: BJP has accused Congress that during the working committee meeting in the Congress session, a separate chair was placed for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, while Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were sitting on the sofa in the middle. Amit Malviya wrote, ‘First learn to respect Kharge ji. He is the National President of Congress. What was the meaning of placing his chair on the side? This clearly shows that Congress is anti-Dalit’. Bharatiya Janata Party has once again accused Congress and its high command of doing anti-Dalit politics on the pretext of this incident.

Actually this matter may not be anti-Dalit, but it is true that in Congress, no one else gets as much importance as the Gandhi family. When there was talk of electing a president other than the Gandhi family in Congress, then BJP’s national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan had said that whatever system the Congress party adopts, whether Gehlot becomes the president or Tharoor… they will be mere puppets. The command of the party will be in the hands of Rahul Gandhi, he will just be running the party from the ‘backseat’.

In fact, if you watch this video carefully, you will find that Mallikarjun Kharge is not being treated disrespectfully. Actually Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi know that they are super in the party. That is why they cannot go ahead and say that you sit on the sofa, we will sit on the chair. Sonia has become old at present. It would be unfair to expect this from her, but Rahul Gandhi could have taken the initiative that Kharge ji come, I will sit on the chair. But the Gandhi family has always considered Congress as a private limited company. Kharge is also an old soldier of Congress. He knows what happened to Sitaram Kesari. That is why he protects his own honor.

Kharge also knows what happened to those people outside the Gandhi family who dreamt of becoming the president in the last few decades. Be it Rajesh Pilot or Jitendra Prasad or Shashi Tharoor, all have been out of the good books of the Congress high command. If he has got the chair of the president by the grace of the Gandhi family, then he should himself come forward and take charge of the chair instead of the sofa. The BJP’s allegation that Mallikarjun Kharge was treated disrespectfully because he was a Dalit is an exaggeration. If any upper caste person other than the Gandhi family had become the president in the Congress, he would have been treated the same way as Mallikarjun Kharge was treated.

In fact, this was decided almost at the same time when Mallikarjun Kharge sat on the throne of the Congress President. After being elected as the president, he had said that he has no hesitation in taking advice and help from the Gandhi family. This one statement of his had decided who will rule the party in the future.

Kharge knows what power can any president other than the Gandhi family have in the Congress? When there is no respect for a PM from outside the family here. Perhaps this is why the NAC or National Advisory Committee was formed after Manmohan Singh became the PM. The NAC office was in front of Sonia’s residence 10 Janpath. In 2006, when the then economist Prime Minister Manmohan Singh felt that the price of oil should not be reduced, he could not do anything. Kharge also remembers Rahul Gandhi tearing the copy of the ordinance brought by Manmohan Singh.