Mallikarjun Kharge attends swearing-in event, I.N.D.I.A leaders skip

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government on Sunday, even as other I.N.D.I.A. leaders skipped the event.

Leaders of the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, RJD, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), AAP, CPM, CPI, CPI(ML)L, JMM and RSP, among others, chose not to attend the event, while Congress explained that Kharge went to the event as the Leader of Opposition.

The Congress decision has not gone well with the allies.

Kharge received a call from senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi on Saturday night, who also got in touch with a number of Opposition floor leaders inviting them to the ceremony.

This came even as the party said Modi had no moral or political right to be sworn in. 

Parties like the Trinamool Congress communicated to other I.N.D.I.A allies that it would not be attending the ceremony. Trinamool leaders said they could not be part of the ceremony as the BJP ran a “dirty, divisive campaign spreading the venom of hatred”.

On Saturday, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, “Modi sought a mandate in his name and the mandate has been against him. Then how can he be sworn in? He has no moral or political right to do so. It is his personal defeat. All international invitations have gone but I am not aware of any invite to Congress. How can we attend the swearing-in ceremony of such an individual who has lost an election?”