By D N Singh
It has been a practice in politics that the ruling parties want a divided opposition. That way, under the Modi dispensation it has come as a God-sent opportunity and BJP wants it to continue till 2024.
The very recent goings over the arrest of Manish Sisodia has pushed a lot of grains into the media speculations fueling fears among the anti-BJP opposition factions.
Including West Bengal chief minister Mamata Bannerjee many other parties have maintained a strong posture condemning the arrest as political witch-hunt and political vendetta.
But as regards the oldest opposition in Indian politics the Congress, far from being critical at the arrest of Sisodia, the Congress has still remained to mentally annihilate the AAP at every given opportunity.
Now also the Congress or its present face Rahul Gandhi has remained tactfully isolated from any such political gang ups to oppose the Sisodia arrest.
It is still recent what had happened in Gujarat. There was no sign of the joint attack on the BJP by the AAP and the Congress. Which obviously played a major role to get the BJP one of the thumping victories there.
It comes in a platter
The Opposition seems to be doing the job for them. They(BJP) do not have to do anything like that as it all comes in a platter.
And it is unlikely that, the Congress under Rahul can ever bring the opposition under one umbrella and that is exactly the BJP wants that the opposition groups remain more splintered.
Let alone to give a good fight, rather each opposition leader dreams of a national level face before an unity is forged.
The recent poll campaign in Meghalaya is a stark illustration of the lack of focus, particularly in Congress which never tires of reminding its friends that it cannot be excluded from an anti-BJP front.
Meghalaya was one state where the Congress was a force till the last election in 2018. But instead of working to strengthen and revive itself, the party seemed more interested in settling scores with the TMC and its leader Mukul Sangma who jumped ship just before the election.
Congress Chief Spokesperson Jairam Ramesh likened him to Judas while the BJP and regional parties that would predictably form a government together post-results watched with glee as their opponents wrangled.
Dangers ahead
Rahul or the Congress must realize, which they refuse to, that it stands to lose the most if Modi and the BJP return to power for a third successive term. Regional parties have shown time and again they can do business with the BJP if the party is in power at the Centre. So despite their anti-BJP rhetoric, they are likely to seek a working relationship with Modi even as they guard their turf against the BJP’s expansionist ambitions.
Rahul Gandhi will have to accept that he has lost the role for himself as a uniting persona and must handover the baton to someone else.
He must bring down his role as a party scion and join ranks with even parties who do not match with his style of functioning.
