Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has emerged as the principal unifier of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) even though strategically, many believe that it should be Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who should be projected as the Prime Ministerial nominee for the Lok Sabha elections. Kharge’s role has become significant, solely because he is one of the few leaders in the bloc who has earned the respect of everyone, and has displayed political maturity and magnanimity while dealing with his alliance partners on one hand, and his party leaders on the other.
Although there has been no discussion amongst the constituents of the coalition regarding the leadership issue, yet Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Uddhav Thackeray, openly expressed their view of supporting Kharge for the Prime Ministership against Narendra Modi in the Parliamentary polls. Kharge himself played down this suggestion, stating that the leadership issue could be decided later, since the first priority should be to get the numbers to defeat the BJP, a very pragmatic approach.
However, it is clear that by taking Kharge’s name, Mamata, Kejriwal and Uddhav, sent a clear message to the Congress that Rahul Gandhi would not be acceptable to them as the leader of the alliance, now or in future. This was completely unnecessary at this point and instead of trying to knit a cohesive coalition, the three leaders appeared to be dictating their own agenda.
Kharge has, over the past few months, been making it clear that the Congress was not looking for the top position and its primary objective was to protect the country and its Constitution from the current ruling dispensation. For this it was prepared to have a common target with other non-BJP parties, and was of the view that together they could achieve this objective.
Mamata’s actions on the day of the conclave looked extremely suspicious since after making this statement, she uncharacteristically attended a meeting with the Prime Minister regarding issues related to her state. Normally, she has kept away from all meetings of the Niti Aayog and therefore, the timing did not go down well.
Kejriwal had unilaterally declared a few days earlier that his party would contest all the 13 seats in Punjab, therefore sending a message to the Congress that there could be no accommodation. Uddhav may have sincerely believed that Kharge’s projection would help the alliance get the Dalit vote but his positioning also looked premature.
What needs to be understood by all the bloc partners is that there should be extreme clarity on what they wish to achieve, and squabbling or speaking out of turn may not help. The announcement by the three leaders was obviously not appreciated by Nitish Kumar and his supporters, who made their displeasure known in no uncertain terms.
There is a wide view among even those who are critical of Nitish Kumar, that he could be the most appropriate choice for the top position and even if due to political compulsions, his candidacy cannot be announced, he should be appointed as the convener of the bloc. It was under his chairmanship that the first meeting of the alliance had taken place in Patna.
In addition, if the BJP has to be humbled in the polls, the two most important states in North India would be Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. If Nitish is chosen to be the convener and contests as the alliance nominee from Phulpur in UP, once the seat of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, it would send the right signals.
Nitish is a Kurmi and his caste has played a dominant role in the politics of Eastern Uttar Pradesh in particular. Together with Akhilesh Yadav in UP and Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar, the Kurmis, Ahirs, and many other castes and communities, can make the going tough for the BJP. Hypothetically speaking, if the BJP’s seat share in these two states gets reduced, the alliance would have won half the battle.
This is a task which appears impossible with the Modi-Shah led BJP in full flow and eyes set on a third successive victory in the Parliamentary polls. But politics is a game of possibilities and the correct combinations and coalitions can help many to realize their dreams. Nitish’s acceptance may take some time, but the I.N.D.I.A partners would have no option but to back his claim ultimately, in case they are serious on defeating the BJP.
Kharge is undoubtedly a very suitable candidate for PMship. He is familiar with the ground realities and also knows his priorities in politics. The position may be his, but it is paramount to first get the numbers. Without these numbers, the opposition would be nowhere.
Thus, Mamata and Kejriwal should restrain themselves before declaring names without a discussion on the subject amongst the partners. Many of the I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders have been invited for the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. While many of their supporters believe that Sonia, Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury may not go for this event, these leaders should not miss the opportunity of paying obeisance to Lord Rama.
Otherwise, they would fall in the BJP trap and be dubbed as anti-Hindu. The I.N.D.I.A bloc has been formed against the BJP and to protect the Constitution. It should not be seen as being against any religion.
Therefore, to overlook the public sentiments may not be good for the future of the coalition since Lord Rama is worshipped by an overwhelming majority. Between us.