Editorial: Rumblings in opposition camp

A disparate group of leaders with bloated egos and personal agendas cannot take on the mighty BJP

The electoral debacle of the Congress in the three Hindi heartland States has trigged rumblings within the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) bloc and raised questions over its sustainability, just months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. At a time when it is looking the most vulnerable, following the shock defeats in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the Congress is coming under attack from the key constituents of the opposition formation which is supposed to put up a united fight against the BJP in the general elections. It is becoming increasingly clear that the key constituents of the Opposition block are unwilling to accept the Congress in the leadership position. This was largely expected because the very foundation of the alliance is flawed; the egos of leaders taking precedence over the alternative agenda. For the Hindutva-driven BJP agenda to be defeated at national level, a credible alternative agenda needs to be presented before the people. A disparate group of leaders with bloated egos and personal agendas cannot take on the mighty saffron party and its well-oiled electoral war machine. That all is not well in the I.N.D.I.A bloc was clear from the way key leaders of its constituents chose to skip the proposed meeting of the group. Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed their inability to attend the meeting, citing different reasons.

While the Samajwadi Party, miffed after being ignored in seat-sharing in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, openly expressed its displeasure over the Congress, the JD (U), on the other hand, went public saying its leader Nitish Kumar was best suited to be the Prime Minister’s face of the I.N.D.I.A grouping. Following poor response from the constituents, the meeting of the top leaders of the alliance has been deferred to third week of December, a development that reflects poorly on the opposition camp and its electoral preparedness. In the days ahead, the Congress, which likes to position itself as the dominant outfit in the alliance, needs to be more accommodative in the lead up to the national elections. In fact, the grouping missed an opportunity to present a united opposition in the just-concluded round of State polls. In MP, for instance, the Congress and SP failed to stitch together an alliance for the State elections. The disagreements did not stay in the backroom but turned into a public spat. Similarly, the Trinamool Congress held the Congress’ “zamindari [feudal] attitude” responsible for its loss to the BJP. There is no doubt that the Congress’ participation is a necessary condition if the I.N.D.I.A bloc is to have a shot at success. However, the recent electoral drubbing has certainly dented its authority.

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