Anil Anand
The June 23, 2023, meeting of the 15-opposition parties to forge electoral-unity turned out to be a surprise package primarily on a single significant count crucial to way forward. Contrary to the prophecies of the doomsayers, the rest went along the expected lines. An opposition unity endeavour, and with such a smooth sailing, this has been the biggest take away of this meeting of far-reaching consequences.
So, the first hurdle crossed – agreeing to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together and face the might of Narendra Modi-led BJP, leaving aside the nitty-gritty or fundamentals of unity to be discussed on another day. As much is wanted, there is no escape from discussing and thrashing out the contentious issues. A right pace, calm and candid, seems to have been set in this meeting with even the sworn adversaries, barring the solitary exception of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal, cooly registering each-others presence on the same table with any acrimony.
No mean achievement. Trinamool Congress chief Mamta Banerjee in the subsequent press conference acknowledging the presence of not only Congress but more surprisingly that of the Left Parties representatives with whom she has a running feud back home in West Bengal.
All eyes before the meeting started were on the maverick and mercurial chief minister of West Bengal Ms Banerjee who is among the half-a-dozen self-professed Prime Ministerial candidates. None except Mr Kejriwal threw their weight around and went along with the plan. It seemed lot of groundwork had been done to hold the meeting in an atmosphere of bonhomie so as to set the right tone.
“We have resolved on three things: We are united. We will fight unitedly. Don’t call us opposition, we are also citizens of this country. If Modi government wins again, then it will be the last general election. -Mamta Banerjee-
“We may have some differences but have decided to work together with flexibility to protect our ideology. -Rahul Gandhi-
“We have come together in national interest; those in power at Centre are against national interest.” -Bihar CM Nitish Kumar-
The leaders of other political parties adopted a similar tone and tenor. It was surely a good beginning to what-opposition unity- has always been a tricky and complicated issue. What makes the meeting more significant from a futuristic context is that no one seemed to be in a hurry either to take the centrestage or lay any stake of any sort. The comforting idea or the new strategy seemed to be to counter the aggressive Modi school of politics with understanding, candour and maintain low profile.
There was a strong reflection of this strategy in this meeting, though Mr Kejriwal through his solo act tried to spoil the mood but without any success. Whether this strategy holds ground or not has to be seen in the next such meetings.
Two important developments that emerged out of the meeting could also prove to be a reflection of the final blue print of opposition unity. These are apart from the leadership issue, sharing of seats or the mode of contesting elections in different states and chalking out a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of action.
First and foremost, AAP’s Mr Kejriwal, despite his recent whirlwind tour to personally contact opposition leaders in their respective states, ostensibly to create and imprint of his national presence, successfully plotted and achieved his own isolation. The more he hammered the issue of Centre’s ordinance related to Delhi government’s powers on bureaucratic transfers and postings, the more isolated he found himself.
Perhaps, unless he has a serious rethink, he has chalked his own course away from the opposition unity. All his efforts to emerge as a leader by forcing other parties to agree to his proposal to vote out the Ordinance as and when efforts are made to convert it into a law in Parliament, proved futile. Perhaps, his decision to boycott the joint press conference and hurriedly issue a statement that his participation in such meetings would not be possible unless Congress made its stand clear on the Ordinance issue, gave ample insight into his thinking and plan of action.
The Congress and AAP- political space in Delhi and Punjab and the role played by AAP in assembly elections in Gujarat and Goa being the other clashing points- getting square with each other over the Ordinance issue was on expected lines. The more surprising was the clear stand taken by the ilks of Miss Banerjee, Nitish Kumar (JD-u), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) and even Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena) in isolating Kejriwal on forcing the Delhi Ordinance issue to be made the main plank and test case for opposition unity.
Second and most important outcome of the meeting was implied acceptance of Congress as the fulcrum of the opposition unity. It was clear from the manner in which Congress leaders were given due importance, without being seen as going out of the way to antagonize the other participants. It seemed that the fact Congress being the only national party in the non-BJP spectrum, has been duly acknowledged.
Though he tried to play a second fiddle to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge all through the proceedings, but Mr Rahul Gandhi of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ (BJY) fame, clearly stole the limelight. The one factor, apart from the need to join hands, that figured in many of the opposition leaders’ speeches, was the BJY and his herculean effort.
This has been a clear departure from the same leaders’ earlier attitude of abhorring Mr Gandhi and refusing to even share dais with him. Quite a significant transformation in the context of opposition unity and coming Lok Sabha elections. Mostly, it was thought that Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav’s nuptial counsel to Mr Gandhi was an act in lighter vein in the former’s own inimitable style. It had a much stronger message hidden beneath what many thought was a pun or fun. His reference while advising Mr Gandhi, “aap shaadi kareye aur hum baarati banege” was not without political connotations. This act of bonhomie that took place in the absence of Mr Kejriwal has two explanations.
Firstly, Mr Gandhi’s centrality, not necessarily the leadership, to the opposition unity’s scheme of things has been recognized with subtle political nuances and varied signals. Secondly, it was a clear rebuff to Mr Kejriwal’s brand of politics in self-aggrandizement to project himself and force his agenda.
Much would depend on how the opposition leaders carry forward the good work done in this opening meeting. Let the issue of sharing of seats and framing CMP be taken up in the next Shimla meeting in the same spirit. The leadership issue can wait till or even after the Lok Sabha elections still an year ahead.
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