Rift In INDI Alliance Over 'Kharge For PM' Call: Rahul Gandhi Speaks To 'Angry' Nitish Kumar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly reached out to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday evening.

This comes amidst speculations of further divisions within the INDI Alliance ahead of the upcoming general election next year.

Gandhi could not speak to the Janata Dal (United) chief since he was in a meeting, but the two are expected to talk later today, NDTV reported citing sources.

Although the specifics of the discussion are unclear, it is speculated that the two may address the aftermath of Wednesday's meeting.

During the meeting, Nitish Kumar appeared to be disregarded as a possible convener for the group and/or prime ministerial candidate.

In the meet, Kumar had several disagreements with INDI Alliance leaders, one of which included a proposal to rename the bloc 'Bharat', a suggestion quickly dismissed by Congress' Sonia Gandhi.

Additionally, Kumar reportedly became upset with Manoj Jha from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, a regional ally, when the latter translated his speech from Hindi to Tamil for DMK political leaders.

Nitish Kumar reportedly also criticised the Congress following its poor showing in the November Assembly elections, which many viewed as a litmus test for INDI Alliance's voter appeal.

The Congress faced defeats in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan - key states that INDI Alliance needs to secure, at least partially, to beat the BJP - after seat-sharing disputes with allies.

The JDU, Trinamool Congress, and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party have all criticised the Congress for not recognising the importance of seat-sharing, especially with regional parties.

The meeting in Delhi saw Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stirring up discussions after suggesting Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as a possible convener and potentially even the Prime Minister, if India manages to gain power in the upcoming national polls.

Kharge immediately declined, saying he preferred to focus on first winning the election.

Nitish Kumar has publicly refuted talk of his prime ministerial ambitions but, privately, is believed to be an aspirant. His party has been more explicit; in August and September, JDU leaders backed their boss for the country's top job, and, this month, said he had "all the qualities and experience that a PM should have".

However, the JDU was careful to also acknowledge this must be a collective call.

Banerjee and Kejriwal proposing Kharge for the job, therefore, seemed to catch Nitish Kumar by surprise, and he reportedly left the meeting in a huff.

JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi later said, "... we (INDIA) will not project any face for 2024. This was the decision taken in Mumbai meeting and such decisions are not changed simply because one person says something".

The JDU emphasized that Nitish Kumar did not depart in anger, and underlined its dedication to the bloc, which Tyagi referred to as "... our child".

"We gave birth to it... how can we be angry with it?" he said.