BENGALURU: Senior Congress leader and former Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, whose entry into the Rajya Sabha is almost certain, told TNIE, “I am going to the Rajya Sabha for the first time in my electoral career of 48 years.
I have been given this opportunity, I will learn something and contribute, and do my best.’’ Asked about Congress benches in the Rajya Sabha being packed with stalwarts, he said, “There are leaders like Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Oscar Fernandes, Jairam Ramesh, Anand Sharma and others, I will get to learn from them and speak about the state of Karnataka and different issues facing the nation.’’ While some in the Congress said he had been “targeted unfairly” and made to lose from Gulbarga in the parliamentary elections, Gowda said, “I had won every election before this.
Members of a certain party had openly said in the House that they were doubtful whether I would return. Anyway, now my party has decided to nominate me. I don’t want to speak about who was targeting me.’’
Mallikarjun Kharge’s career spans 48 years, but he has been politically active for about 55 years, and had served as Union railway minister.