Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — who declared yesterday that the INDIA bloc will not take a call on its Prime Ministerial candidate until after the Lok Sabha election — took a 180-degree turn today by proposing Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s name for the position.

Sources said Ms Banerjee made the proposal at the ongoing meet of the Opposition INDIA bloc. Mr Kharge being a prominent Dalit face in the Opposition, the plan got widespread approval.  

Twelve of the participating parties, sources said, applauded the plan. Even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal — known for being mostly out-of-sync with the Congress — seconded the idea. “This is a chance to have the country’s first Dalit Prime Minister,” sources quoted him as saying.

Mr Kharge, however, poured cold water on the plan with a polite refusal, sources said. He said he only wants to work for the downtrodden.

“We have to win first, and think what to do to win. What is the point in discussing PM before having MPs. We will try to get a majority together,” Mr Kharge  later told reporters when asked about the matter.

The Opposition has faced sharp criticism from the ruling BJP for fielding candidates against Ramnath Kovind and Droupadi Murmu — members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes — during the Presidential elections. The BJP has accused the Congress and the other parties of being biased against Dalits and tribals.

The wide approval of Mr Kharge is also seen as an indication of his stature among the Opposition parties. On the other hand, it was seen as a snub to Rahul Gandhi, over whose candidature for the top post, the opposition has always been divided.  

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Kharge said the contentious issue of seat sharing will be handled at the state level.

“If there is any issue, it will be taken up at Central level,” he said.

Sources said the Trinamool Congress and several other parties have decided on December 31 as the deadline for seat-sharing talks.

28 parties had taken part in today’s mega meet of the INDIA bloc, which is one of the many in the days to come. Mr Kharge said they would hold multiple meets across various cities. “Unless we do that we cannot raise people’s awareness,” Mr Kharge said.

Tara Sutaria, who made her debut in 2019 with Student Of The Year 2, recently discussed her journey in the film industry. In a recent conversation, she explained why she is not bothered by the competition, despite the rise of new talents such as Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, and Khushi Kapoor who made their debut in The Archies.

In an interview with a leading news portal, Tara expressed that she doesn’t view it as a competition. Having started her career alongside Ananya Panday, she emphasised that what people perceive as competition is not the same for her. She believes that everyone has carved their own niche in terms of features, acting, dialogue delivery, and dancing. She also mentioned that the industry doesn’t feel too crowded for her, and she doesn’t sense any strange competition in her journey so far.

Tara explained that although she recognises the existence of healthy competition among young actors, it hasn’t had any adverse effects on her. She stressed that her perspective on life and career differs significantly from others, as she firmly believes in the ample space and opportunities available to everyone in the industry. Tara isn’t worried about measuring herself against others, asserting that each actor is unique and cannot be confined to the same category. She expressed contentment with her current position.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Tara was last seen in Apurva.

See Also: Kriti Sanon, Tara Sutaria and others turn up in style at Kartik Aaryan’s birthday bash 

The Indian Navy helped in the evacuation of an injured sailor from the hijacked Malta-flagged cargo vessel in the early hours of Monday. The hijackers released the sailor who has now been flown to Oman for treatment, the Navy said.

The injured crew member was reported to be stable, it said in a statement.

“The injured crew member was medically managed onboard the IN ship but due to urgent medical attention required, which was beyond the scope of the ship, he has been transferred ashore at Oman,” the Navy said.

The Indian Navy’s warship has been tracking MV Ruen since Saturday when it indicated that six “pirates” had illegally boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy had swiftly responded to a call for help and its warship on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden was deployed to locate and assist MV Ruen.

The Navy said its aircraft flew over the hijacked vessel and its movement was being monitored. The vessel is now headed towards the coast of Somalia, it said.