The political opposition under the umbrella of the INDIA bloc has made an earnest effort to present a picture of unity despite being riven with inherent contradictions. The recent assembly elections have considerably weakened some of the bigger constituents like the TMC, the DMK and the Left.
The decision of the Congress to ditch the DMK alliance has predictably not gone down well with the Dravidian party, which understandably chose to skip the Congress-led alliance meeting. The CPM-led Left Front, on the other hand, decided to attend the meeting only after registering a protest against the grand old party’s aggressive and virulent targeting of its electoral rival in the Kerala elections. Mellowed by the crushing defeat and imminent implosion within the party, a politically weakened Mamata Banerjee is showing signs of pragmatism by being more amenable to realignment and adjustment to new realities in working with the alliance.
The five-point resolution ‘unanimously’ adopted at the meeting points to the renewed acknowledgement among the alliance members regarding the importance of unity and coordination in the face of the seemingly unstoppable onward march of the BJP.
The points revolved around old and familiar themes of stealing votes through SIR, the resignation of the education minister for bungling in conducting important country-wide examinations, and a demand to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the simmering economic crisis. Smarting under electoral losses, the parties decided to revive the practice of holding alliance meetings and continue the daily morning meetings for better floor coordination in Parliament. Regarding SIR, the alliance’s decision to write to the Chief Justice of India appears to be performative as it is unlikely to yield any significant result other than making a political point.
Among the 23 parties that attended the meeting, only the Congress has an all-India presence despite successive electoral defeats and occasional victories in some states. It also happens to be the only party that has been mounting concerted and uncompromising attacks on the BJP and the government it leads. Compared to other opposition leaders, Rahul Gandhi has been more fearless and consistent in his opposition to the Modi government and its failings. He alone could withstand and be undeterred by the industrial-scale propaganda, frivolous and vexatious litigation, and a coordinated offensive to undermine his leadership and diminish his political influence.
The state-level political parties in the alliance need to reckon with this, and many of them do, as is evident in their abandoning the idea of a non-Congress, non-BJP third front. To evolve a working relationship with the Congress, not only in national politics but also in their respective states, they need to maintain a delicate balance between protecting their turf in the states while being accommodating to strengthen the Congress to defeat the BJP both in their respective states and nationally in the general elections.
Unlike the BJP, which gradually reduces its alliance partners to political irrelevance, the present-day Congress appears to be wedded to mutual respect and coexistence. At least, for now. It does follow the live-and-let-live policy, often accepting to play second fiddle in the larger political interest of defeating its arch-rival. Except in Kerala, where the BJP is not the leading opponent, in other states which are bastions of its alliance partners, the Congress should continue to be the junior partner. The next round of assembly elections in 2027, especially in UP, will be the crucial acid test.