‘Laughable’: Kharge responds to PM Modi’s ‘RJD stole CM nominee post at gunpoint’ remark

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge ridiculed and dismissed the claim made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar had stolen the chief minister candidate post from the party at gunpoint.

Both Congress and the RJD are part of the opposition Mahagathbandhan, which seeks to wrest back power from the NDA in the assembly elections.

Addressing a poll rally in Arrah on Sunday, Modi had claimed that the dispute over the chief minister nominee had led to a rift in the opposition alliance.

In a strong rebuttal, Kharge said such statements demean the office of the prime minister.

"All of this is a lie. He (PM Modi) has nothing else to say. I will answer this today in Bihar. What he is saying is a lie. Nobody will tell someone else to make someone the CM at gunpoint. Congress has never done this," he told ANI before leaving for Bihar, where he will address a campaign rally later in the day.

"Modi ji is the prime minister of this country; his saying such things is laughable. This shows his level. He sets aside the level at which a PM should speak and is making election speeches in Bihar," the Congress chief added.

The Mahagathbandhan has named RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the chief minister candidate of the alliance. The announcement came after days of uncertainty over the seat-sharing agreement between the two parties, which sparked rumours of discord in the alliance.

“Today, I will tell you insider information. Just a day before nomination filing, behind closed doors, gundagardi (hooliganism) was happening. Congress did not want to have an RJD CM, but RJD did not leave the opportunity. They put a gun to Congress's head and stole the CM's post. They made sure of an announcement," Modi said on Sunday.

Assembly elections in Bihar will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the counting set to take place on November 14.