Mallikarjun Kharge sticks to unity pitch: ‘Spoken to Nitish, Stalin, Uddhav… want to bring together Oppn’

He played down the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain a plea by 14 political parties, including Congress, seeking guidelines to prevent “arbitrary” use of Central probe agencies against Opposition leaders.

He said there is “public sympathy” against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha member. The disqualification, done at “lighting speed”, was a “surgical strike on Gandhi by the government for speaking on the Adani matter,” he said.

“We are trying with everyone that we should all be united even outside Parliament. Outside Parliament, political party presidents and people who matter in party affairs are there… I am talking to all the top leaders of the parties… With two-three leaders, I have already had some discussion. For example, the Bihar Chief Minister… I spoke and I said it is the need of the hour to come together and fight for unity, and particularly against the BJP. I spoke to Stalinji. He also agreed.”

“And then I spoke to Uddhav Thackeray… That my secretaries will be coming to you, and they will meet… Please discuss this unity matter… We will try to reach all party leaders and we will come together and have some common agenda to fight against the BJP. So, let us see how… because all political parties are united on the issue that (we should) protect democracy and institutions, particularly the Constitution,” he said.

The government, he said, was “misusing” autonomous bodies and “suppressing” the voice of the Opposition parties.

“So everybody is realising and willingly coming. The JPC matter has also united us. And after the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi… everybody is united that… if such things go on in India, then naturally it is a great harm because they are attacking the media, attacking Opposition leaders, attacking the NGOs and those who particularly believe in the principles of secularism, in protecting the Constitution and other things. People are realising. We will try to meet everybody and convince (them). Let us see how many people come together,” he said.

Asked how an electoral alliance will take shape given the fact that there are many regional parties who are not keen to have an understanding with the Congress, Kharge said, “We are making an attempt… As much as possible, we want to bring them nearer… Wherever they differ… it is left to them. But we will try… wherever it is possible… All like-minded parties should come together.”

“We will definitely try to convince them… If somebody is not convinced, that is a different matter.”

He said ideological differences with some parties will remain but those differences will not be allowed to come in the way of unity. In the context of Uddhav Thackeray’s unease over Rahul Gandhi’s jibes at V D Savarkar, he said the MVA was formed in Maharashtra on the basis of a common minimum programme for development of the state. The unity, he said, was not on ideological issues.

Playing down the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain a plea by 14 political parties, he said, “See, it was done by the legal team. This is not something that political parties sat and decided… It was done by our legal cell… There were others too… legal experts… They made a move. But later, with the permission of the court, they (withdrew) to file a fresh petition.”