Regardless of shared goals, unity can only be a good start for the opposition
Post Date – 11:40 PM, Tuesday – July 23rd 18th
The opposition has a clear goal: to overthrow Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party government by 2024. Apart from shared goals, opposition unity remains divided. The initial Patna meeting merely broke the deadlock, before the top leaders of 26 “like-minded” parties attended in Bangalore. This is a marked improvement from the 16 parties that gathered in Patna on June 23. How far will this go? Can the mob effectively unite forces? The tried and tested third-line experiment still evokes dull memories. Such coalitions have been the norm since the late 1980s, especially in the run-up to elections. As usual, the opposition has too many prime ministerial candidates this time around. There are several ambitious heavyweights in the camp, many of whom would not hesitate to switch to the NDA side if they get the right offer. From the mercurial Mamata Banerjee to the unpredictable Arvind Kejriwal, there are many in this mix who can take off on their own on any given day. So there seems to be little guarantee that the opposition will remain sticky, regardless of the “common” goals. Congress is no longer considered Big Brother, but it’s a label that won’t let go easily. Congress secretary-general Jaram Ramesh had earlier said: “Every political party wants something from Congress. It’s not going to work. The third frontier experiment we conducted should not be repeated. “
It seemed to break even before the adhesive started to bond. The “Pawar” drama and the resulting wide open was not limited to either side. This unpredictability never fails to excite voters. Even now, no one knows where the NCP really stands. The formation of an opposition coalition itself faces many pulls and pressures. The Congress Party, which had cautiously backed the Amu Admi Party in the Delhi Ordinance, had to back down in the face of the AAP’s threat to boycott the Bengaluru meeting. There is also the unresolved leadership issue of Rahul Gandhi, which has plagued the Congress party since 2014. Neither the Congress Party can leave him nor will the other parties accept him wholeheartedly for the “interest” of opposition unity. Will those heavyweights and “predecessors” of other parties waiting for their glorious moment be generous enough to sacrifice only for the “interest of the country and the people”? Not too possible. Also, there is a lack of many independent important regional parties such as the BRS in Telangana, the BJD in Odisha and the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh. All other elements such as vote share, strongholds and co-candidates will be useless if the opposition cannot forge strong ties and consistently convince the people. However, rain or shine, solidarity can only be a good start.
