Opposition unity must, Congress open to post-poll alliances: KC Venugopal
A day after the Congress registered a resounding win in the Karnataka elections, the party's senior leader KC Venugopal on Sunday said that unity among opposition parties was a must at the national level. Speaking to NDTV, Rahul Gandhi's close aide Venugopal also claimed the grand old party was open to forming post-poll alliances with regional parties in other states despite having ideological differences.
Why does this story matter?
- Venugopal's remarks come at a time when the Congress party has received a morale boost following its victory in the Karnataka elections on Saturday, beating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with a comfortable majority.
- It has been working hard to reestablish itself in national politics. However, the outcome boosted both the party and the opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
'We have to work together at national level': Venugopal
On the Congress's Karnataka victory, Venugopal told NDTV, "This is a message for opposition unity, and we have to work together at the national level." "We can't have an alliance with CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) in Kerala or BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) in Telangana, but we can have a post-poll alliance and, in some cases, pre-poll alliance," he said on uniting opposition parties.
Venugopal denied reports Kharge considered for CM post
In response to a question on who the Karnataka chief minister will be, Venugopal stated it would take time and will be decided between DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, describing both leaders as "Congressmen at heart." He also ruled out Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge being considered for the position. "No question of Kharge. Don't believe rumors," he said.
'Will resolve issues between Gehlot, Pilot in Rajasthan': Venugopal
Speaking about Rajasthan, which he represents in the Rajya Sabha, Venugopal stated that the Congress was working on settling disagreements and leadership concerns. "We will sort it out in Rajasthan between Sachin and Gehlot and in other states," he said. Notably, in Rajasthan, the differences between Sachin Pilot and CM Ashok Gehlot intensified in recent months, ahead of the state elections.
Congress preparing for another 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' ahead
Venugopal further said that the Congress was organizing a second nationwide campaign to capitalize on the momentum before the upcoming general election in 2-24. "We are planning another Bharat Jodo Yatra from the east to west. We have seen good results in Karnataka," he said. He said the party was gearing up for Gandhi's next nationwide march.
