Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, in New Delhi on April 12, 2023. (File pic/PTI)
The September 1 Mumbai meeting of the opposition alliance is expected to answer several questions but many nettlesome issues pose a challenge to the INDIA bloc’s unity
The third meeting in Mumbai of the INDIA bloc of opposition parties on September 1 is critical as it plans to take a great leap for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. While a new logo is expected to be unveiled, the friction and dilemma within seem to be coming out in the open too.
What could be the areas over which there will be tug of war?
Who will be convener?
Sonia Gandhi was unanimously chosen as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson in 2004 with no rancour. She was the one who had taken the first step forward to ensure the coming together of like-minded parties to unseat the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2004. And the Congress was still the big player in the opposition spectrum. But things have changed now. Not only is the Congress much weaker, but simultaneously regional outfits like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) have become powerful and ambitious.
And with this, the issue that arises is who after Sonia Gandhi will be the convener of the opposition bloc. The Janata Dal (United) feels the mantle automatically falls on Nitish Kumar. Says party spokesperson KC Tyagi, “Nitish Kumar is the founder of INDIA. He is the best person suited for this job. Also, we would certainly think that he is the best to become the PM in 2024 but we don’t want to say anything before the Mumbai meet.”
The Nitish Kumar camp is feeling disappointed over the Congress plan to not appoint any single convener of the INDIA group. It is apparent that Nitish wants to become the convener of the alliance given the stellar role he has played in bringing various parties into the fold including challenging partners like AAP and the Samajwadi Party, a JD(U) leader told News18. However, the leader said that the feelers from the Congress camp indicate the party does not want to appoint a single convener as that would by default project that person as the prime ministerial candidate as well, which the grand old party wants only for Rahul Gandhi.
It is believed that Nitish was also disappointed with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s recent statement that there could be multiple conveners of INDIA depending upon regions. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president had further said that his son Tejashwi Yadav will be Bihar’s chief minister one day, virtually putting Nitish Kumar on notice.
Though Kumar has publicly said he does not wish for any post in INDIA and has ruled himself out of the prime ministerial race, the ambition does exist with his role in the state on a diminishing path. All this is expected to aggravate the challenges for the INDIA bloc’s chemistry.
But behind closed doors, the demand for Nitish as the convener is gaining traction. Many small parties, as well as the JD(U), think he would be a good choice. Hindi-speaking and belonging to the Hindi belt, Nitish can counter PM Modi, they feel. But many others are not so keen as they feel making him the convener would make it Nitish vs Modi in 2024. This brings us to the issue of who will be and can be the PM face.
Who will be PM face?
That’s where the problem begins. Everyone wants to be the PM face. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel threw the cat among the pigeons when they said Rahul Gandhi must be the prime ministerial pick. While this may enthuse the Congress cadre, it’s not something others like Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee will be happy about. While no one is saying it openly, the murmurs and ambitions cannot be checked.
And this is what the Bharatiya Janata Party is taking advantage of. The fact that Baghel and Gehlot have pushed for Rahul as PM has drawn jibes from the BJP on who will be the PM candidate and how will the opposition decide. It helps the BJP to make the point that it, unlike the INDIA front, has clarity and stability of leadership.
Seat distribution
And this is what will cause further tension. TMC vs Congress and AAP vs Congress will make it difficult for seat allocation to be a smooth affair. The same will be the case when it comes to the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. While the Congress has decided to support the SP for a bypoll in the state, this bonhomie may not last long.
The road to 2024 for the INDIA front has become rocky.
