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Mallikarjun Kharge Teases Rahul Gandhi Over Former Congress Leaders
M
Moneycontrol•16-10-2026, 10:46
Mallikarjun Kharge Teases Rahul Gandhi Over Former Congress Leaders
- •Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge jokingly reminded Rahul Gandhi that several prominent leaders who quit the party were once close to him.
- •The light-hearted remark came after Gandhi referred to Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad as cowards and greedy individuals who left the party.
- •Gandhi denied that Scindia was ever his friend and shared an anecdote from his grandmother Indira Gandhi about political friendships and enmity.
- •Gandhi claimed that leaders left Congress for perks, security, or out of fear of central agencies like the ED and CBI.
- •During the informal meeting, Gandhi also praised Kharge's ideological commitment and predicted that the Narendra Modi government had only months left.
Key Questions Answered
Mallikarjun Kharge took a light-hearted dig at Rahul Gandhi by pointing out that several prominent leaders who quit the party, such as Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad, were once close to him, prompting Kharge to remark, "They were all your friends."
Jyotiraditya Scindia left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2020 after previously being regarded as close to Rahul Gandhi, while Ghulam Nabi Azad quit the party in 2022 following a prolonged period of differences with the leadership.
Rahul Gandhi shared an anecdote about asking his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, who her best friend was, using her response to explain that political relationships can be deceptive and that appearances do not always reveal who true friends or enemies are.
