Mallikarjun Kharge: Mother and sister burned in front of eyes, joined Congress at 27, how did he become party's problem solver?

A boy joins a political party at the age of 27. He continues to win elections. Still, one does not get the political recognition that most leaders dream of. 80 years later, the same guy becomes the leader of the same party and strives to save the sinking party. That party is Congress and that person's name is Mallikarjun Kharge. After Sonia Gandhi, the election was held for the post of Congress president. Shashi Tharoor on one side, Kharge on the other. Kharge is considered close to the Gandhi family. But in the last few years his identity has become much more than this. Kharge has an identity of its own today. Kharge has shown his mettle everywhere, from bridging the divide between TK Shivkumar and Siddaramaiah in Karnataka to pacifying Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, even after putting an end to factionalism in the party. Kharge's story is similar, the way he attacks the BJP in Parliament is a sight to behold. Hailing from the south, Kharge's success was attributed to many factors, but the biggest factor was his simplicity, his impeccable manners and his style of politics. Congress got 99 seats in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which is important because no one expected so much. If this trust is broken, it has Kharge's contribution as well as that of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. But that is not all the story of Mallikarjun Kharge. Only those who know his childhood, struggle, style of communication in politics can know his personality. Year 1946. Place: Hyderabad Varvati. It is now in Karnataka. Some soldiers of the Nizam of Hyderabad visit a village in Varvati. Let's set the house on fire. A three-year-old child had gone to work while his father went to work, while his mother and sister were burning in the fire. This pain is still inside Karke. He has also mentioned this many times. Coming from a Dalit family, Kharge's career seems to have carved a path for himself. This is what made him a strong leader: his mother's death broke Kharga, and he became strong. Kharge's father used to work in a mill. Kharge did his primary education in Gulbarg and started his studies in a government college there. He tried his hand at student politics and became the general secretary of the student union. Kharge spoke for the workers and fought for them. As soon as he graduated from college, he began to be recognized as a labor leader. In 1969, at the age of 27, Kharge joined the Congress. Devaraj Ars was the earliest Guru of Kharge. Kharge first became an MLA in 1972 from the Gurmitkal constituency. After 1972, Kharge became MLA from the same constituency for 9 consecutive terms. Then he became a minister. Served in many ministries. But he has always been spotless. Even his enemies say about Kharge how anyone can be spotless after being in politics for so many years. But Kharge proved to be different from other leaders of the country in this regard. Even at the age of 80, his energy is worth seeing. He speaks Hindi as well as English or Kannada. Due to this, the people of other states of the country also started to know him. When talking about Mallikarjun Kharge, it is often said that he was not a leader with a mass base. But Kharge has proved those leaders wrong. In a democracy, it doesn't matter how much you are discussed on television and in newspapers. How many times you win elections proves your suitability. And in this case, when the list is prepared, Kharge's name will definitely be there. Kharge's entry into national politics also has a different story. In 1994, the Congress was defeated and a secular Janata Dal government was formed. Kharge was made Leader of Opposition, HD Deve Gowda. Congress came to power in 1999. Gharke was in the CM race. But SM Krishna became the Chief Minister. Got interior, corkage. It was during the Gharke regime that Veerappan abducted the famous Kannada film actor and singer Rajkumar. Kharge then took up the matter, for which he too was praised. In 2004, the Congress returned to power, but Dharam Singh, the youngest from Kharge, became the chief minister. Congress lost in Karnataka in 2008. But Kharge won the election. In 2009, Congress gave Kharge a seat in his home constituency of Gulbarga. Kharge entered central politics. Manmohan became a minister in the government. In 2014, Congress got only 44 seats. Even in the Modi wave, he won Kharga and reached the Lok Sabha. The Congress elected him as the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament. Kharge lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This was the first defeat in his political career. Kharge may have been Chief Minister several times in his entire political career but he never once spoke out or spoke against the high command. He became special to the Gandhi family. Very few know that Kharge has two daughters and three sons. One daughter is named Priyadarshini, which is Indira Gandhi's childhood name and two sons, Priyank and Rahul. It was once said that the Congress would end. BJP's slogan is India without Congress. But there was confusion in the Congress too. Dissident groups like the G-23 became a problem for the Congress. Congress leaders continued to join other parties but Kharge, unaware of all this, quietly went about his work. This skill of Kharge sets him apart from other leaders.