Congress President Kharge likely to stay as Rajya Sabha LoP
What's the story
Mallikarjun Kharge, the President of the Congress, is reportedly set to continue as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha as the grand old party is yet to decide on his replacement in the Parliament. As per reports, Sonia Gandhi has called for a meeting on Saturday of the Congress Parliamentary Party's "strategy group".
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Why does this story matter?
In October, Kharge handed in his official resignation as the LoP in the Rajya Sabha. The 80-year-old had filed his nomination for Congress' presidential poll race, and the resignation was pushed under the "One Leader, One Post" scheme. Following the retirement of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kharge became the LoP in the Upper House in February 2021.
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Congress's 'One Person, One Post' policy
It is learned that Kharge, KC Venugopal, and Jairam Ramesh are the only people who have been called for the meeting from Rajya Sabha. Kharge currently holds two posts and will be a complete reverse of the "One Person, One Post" policy that former party president Rahul Gandhi stressed back when Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was eyeing up a double role.
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P Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh not invited: Report
According to reports, P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh, seen as the main front-runners to replace the Congress President in Rajya Sabha, haven't been invited to the forthcoming meeting. The short session is reportedly over, and the party will likely change up the Congress Parliamentary Party.
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Congress' stance on dual post
Rahul Gandhi asserted in September that the party would hold firm on the policy it committed to the policy during its Udaipur session. According to reports, P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh, seen as the main front-runners to replace the Congress President in Rajya Sabha, haven't been invited to the forthcoming meeting.
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Other Congress leaders with dual posts
Other than Kharge, Adhiranjan Choudhary and Jairam Ramesh are the only exceptions holding dual posts in the party. While Choudhary is Congress's LoP in the Lok Sabha and holds the Bengal president's post, Ramesh is Rajya Sabha's chief whip and also the party's communications chief.
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Kharge's 'Raavan' remark had triggered outrage
Earlier this week, Mallikarjun Kharge was in the spotlight for his "Raavan" remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which triggered a lot of backlashes. Kharge's ill-advised remarks came during campaigning in Gujarat ahead of the first phase of the assembly polls in the state. This was also his first address in the state since taking over as the Congress president.