Much like what’s happening between Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee and Opposition matriarch Sonia Gandhi. Now that a United Opposition is the only way to oust the BJP in the impending May 2024 General Elections, notable leaders are up and about garnering the resistance front. To her credit, Ms Banerjee seems to the face uniting the cause.
In Mumbai last week, to meet NCP’s Sharad Pawar, Ms Banerjee’s intent is clear. Joining of hands with NCP and allies seems as sure as “not going ahead with a party that does not want to fight.” The Congress has inadvertently carved its existence as non-aggressive but belligerent. It is there to oppose the BJP and vested interests but not to pick up fights when matters can be resolved constitutionally.
Here is where the Opposition differs. Since the ruling party chooses to abrogate and amend the Constitution or invoke UAPA when there is no perceived need, the more aggressive players in the Opposition want a ballistic approach. Something personified by Ms Banerjee. And not by Rahul Gandhi’s slow and deliberate strategy.
Her July 28 meeting with Ms Gandhi seems to have sealed the fate for a tie-up with the Congress. Informed sources brief the supposed “one-on-one” meeting between the two women turned out to be a tango with RaGa also present. What happened behind closed doors is not known but Ms Banerjee later opined “Rahul is still a child.” The need to revive the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) remains unresolved.
Interestingly, Ms Banerjee’s relationship with the Gandhis is an old one. As a first-time Congress MP, she was hand-picked by the then PM Rajiv Gandhi to be MoS for Sports and Youth Affairs. During a 1989 poll rally in Calcutta, he called upon the people “to vote for her even if you don’t vote for the Congress.”
Her growing stature as Banglaar Meye (Bengal’s daughter) led to the inevitable —– a drift to float her own Trinamool Congress. However, her relations with Ms Gandhi remained cordial. Cutting across party lines, the women are known to be supportive of each other’s victory as evidenced by congratulatory posts and pictures on social media. The famous Didigiri stance often alluded to is how Ms Banerjee blocked a proposed NDA legislation (during her brief stint with the NDA) barring people of foreign origin from holding high office.
However, goodwill and careful planning are far from what can help a dying united front to beat the BJP. As is obvious from breakaway groups of the erstwhile Janata Dal and Janata Party, it seems Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, JDU, JDS, and BJD set the record straight: there can be now two nests. Fledglings must roost in a new nest on a new tree if they have to fly and soar.
RaGa’s ideological approach of not wanting to cry battle is taking a long time. Regional parties with fiery satraps can deliver and that is why AAP and Trinamool are eyeing Goa and the NorthEast respectively. Kingmaker Prashant Kishor too was sidelined by the Gandhi siblings and though muted in his words, made it clear that Congress has chosen its swansong.
Unfortunately, all the going-ons come at the cost of robust secular democracy.
