Khela Hobe! That is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking a direct hit at the opponent’s goal post at the fourth INDIA meet in Delhi on December 19. Mamata pitted Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge against BJP’s public face Narendra Modi. With that, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be a one-on-one one act play between the “unbeaten” and the “invincible”.
Most significant, and more notable than Mamata’s declaration that Kharge is “PM Face” of the INDIA Bloc, was Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seconding Mamata’s declaration. That made it “official”. Though Kharge rose to interject that this wasn’t the right occasion to suggest the name of INDIA Bloc’s Prime Minister nominee, he did not withdraw his name or object to the declaration.
Everything was fine. Gung ho. What’s more, ‘Kharge for Prime Minister’ received wide support from all present at the INDIA Bloc meet. Nevertheless, after his name passed muster, Kharge said, “I work for the downtrodden. Let’s win first, then we will see. I don’t seek anything. We have to first win. Who will be Prime Minister is a matter for later. First, we have to get a majority and strength ourselves. Then, the MPs will decide democratically”.
Proposing Kharge’s name for INDIA’s “Prime Minister” was strategic, a move bound to catch the imagination of India’s poor and vulnerable, the proletariat and the Dalit. In the recent assembly elections, these sections had rallied behind BJP and the Congress had garnered 9 lakh more votes than the BJP. At the all-India level, the Dalit are 22 per cent of the population and the RSS has been motivating them to vote for the BJP by telling them that they, too, were Hindus.
INDIA leaders are seriously moving to explode this myth and bring back the Dalit to the secular fold. And quite naturally, Mallikarjun Kharge is the best bet for INDIA to win over the Dalit trust. Politically, too, Kharge fits the “PM Face” as he is not only mature, but also senior by far than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In fact, the Prime Minister himself will admit this.
The best thing about “Kharge for INDIA’s Prime Minister” is that it has already blunted Modi’s pet peeve that the Congress is perpetuating Gandhi-Nehru rule. By naming Kharge, INDIA has hit the Modi nail on its head, silenced the saffron critics from hurling taunts at the Opposition’s so-called inability to project a PM candidate to challenge Modi.
So much so, even common people had started believing in this Modi canard. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting his authority and projecting himself as an “Iron Man”, the BJP ecosystem had invested all its resources and skill to popularise the myth among the Middle-Class.
Yet another trending issue roiling political circles, as also common people, is “seat sharing”, talk that the INDIA Bloc just couldn’t get it done. The latest INDIA meeting has now authorised the leader of the major party of a particular state to interact with leaders of other INDIA constituents and get the job of seat sharing done by the end of this month, otherwise by first week of January 2024, definitely. It was fascinating to witness INDIA leaders, especially Mamata Banerjee, ruing the delay in seat sharing, “Is not too late, but and it’s better to be late than never”.
The INDIA meet succeeded in resolving the problem of seat sharing in Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the states which have been the prime targets of RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These three states send 166 MPs to the Lok Sabha and Modi returned to power in 2019 riding on the shoulders of the MPs of these three states. Modi is now bragging about winning Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan in a bid to ratchet up a psychological edge. He is forever claiming that the BJP would sweep these states in 2024 general elections, too.
The three states comprise 65 parliamentary seats of which the BJP won 63 in 2019, the saturation level, so to speak. Modi’s ploy has been to “terrorise” opposition parties. But the maximum Modi can do is retain the 63 the BJP won in 2019. Chances are he will not. The reasons why the Congress lost the three states is common knowledge. It would be naïve to believe that the Congress does not know.
The best thing going for INDIA Bloc and provide impetus to it is Mamata and other leaders offering 270 seats to the Congress, indicating that INDIA has accepted that the Congress is prime mover and shaker of the Opposition alliance. And while on the alliance, it should be recognized that Mamata Banerjee has emerged as a key leader of the INDIA bloc. Her prima position will have significant bearing on the INDIA bloc’s doings in the days to come. Most of her suggestions are unanimously accepted.
That said, in UP, the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav would call the shots. The SP’s alliance with Congress in 2017 did not yield the desired result owing to the tussle of supremacy between SP and Congress. The suggestion that Akhilesh Yadav should be “captain” in Uttar Pradesh will not work. Under the seat-sharing agreement, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal will work out the modalities for Delhi and Punjab.
Interestingly, before the meeting, Punjab’s AAP Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had expressed AAP’s desire to contest all seats. However, in the case of Uttar Pradesh, Ram Gopal Yadav, who is Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle, stated in no uncertain terms that the alliance should make up its mind between SP and BSP and only then negotiate. The message was clear, SP would cease to be in INDIA if the BSP is allowed a perch on board.
The good news is, the Congress has taken the lead by announcing a National Alliance Committee comprising senior leaders Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Mukul Wasnik, Salman Khurshid and Mohan Prakash. This team will work in consultation with state leaders to finalise the seat-sharing formula and identify the constituencies to be shared among alliance partners.
The meet also succeeded in breaking the gridlock of organising public rallies. It was at the Mumbai meet that the INDIA leaders had decided to hold state level rallies and apprise the people of the utility and political relevance of the forum. But it failed to actualise. Beginning December 22, INDIA would hold rallies in all the states and condemn the authoritarian rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make people aware of the dangers of a fascist administration. The plan is to hold 10 rallies across the country.
This has become imperative and has acquired urgency with Modi working systematically to finish off the Opposition, create a a so-called “Opposition Mukta Bharat”. Nearly 152 members from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been suspended in the last four days. Never in the parliamentary history of India has this nature and magnitude of suspensions taken place. The only fault of the members was that they had sought a statement from the Home Minister on the Parliament security breach. That no investigating agency has so far interrogated the BJP MP who made possible the breach of security is of deep concern.
Mamata Banerjee expressed her’s, saying that “voices” are being stifled. She says the “suspensions” are unjust, and that the government has no moral right. INDIA leaders reiterated their commitment to “continue to fight against the tyranny of this government”.
INDIA bloc emphasising on the relevance of presenting a united front. “Today democracy is being mercilessly murdered by the Modi government. Representatives who raise public voice are suspended from the House. In such an adverse situation, our unity is our strength and this resolve to protect democracy is our energy. We will give a befitting reply to the dictatorship of Modi government. Will not be afraid, will not stop, will fight and win.” (IPA Service)
