“If Congress had not defeated me, today I too would have been a 5-time MP”, Kiren Rijiju’s shocking revelation at the swearing in. – ..

An interesting incident was witnessed during the swearing-in ceremony of Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha. When Kharge was again starting his innings as an MP in the Upper House, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju turned a page in his political career, which caught the attention of everyone present there. Discussing Kharge’s long political experience, Rijiju recalled the old election which had changed the mathematics of his parliamentary career.

What emerged during the discussion on Kharge’s experience

During the swearing-in ceremony, while on one hand Mallikarjun Kharge was returning to the Rajya Sabha with his political activism of more than 5 decades, an informal discussion started nearby between Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, House leaders JP Nadda and L Murugan. The center of discussion was Kharge’s parliamentary experience. Arjun Ram Meghwal said that this is Kharge’s fourth term. He informed that Kharge has been in the Lok Sabha twice before and this is his second innings in the Rajya Sabha. Adding to this, JP Nadda said that before coming to Parliament, Kharge had also been a member of the Karnataka Assembly 9 times.

Rijiju’s ‘pain’ and 2009 elections

Hearing Kharge’s long experience, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju suddenly started mentioning the 2009 elections. He smilingly said that if Congress had not defeated him in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he would have become MP for the fifth time. This statement of Rijiju refreshed old memories in political circles. Let us tell you that Kiren Rijiju started his parliamentary career in 2004. In the 2009 elections, Takam Sanjay of Congress defeated Rijiju in a very close contest from Arunachal West seat by a margin of only 1314 votes. This defeat had put a break in his continuous journey as an MP, which he mentioned at the oath ceremony in Kharge today.

Kharge took oath, talked about big responsibility

On Monday, along with Mallikarjun Kharge, 7 other MPs also took the oath of membership of the Upper House. After taking oath, Kharge expressed his feelings on social media. He said that taking the oath of Rajya Sabha again is not only a matter of pride for him, but also a big responsibility. He described it as an honor to continue his service as the Leader of the Opposition in this dignified House. Kharge expressed gratitude to Rajya Sabha Chairman, Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, party workers and supporters for supporting him in his journey.