Once this alliance is formalized and the joint campaign starts in Uttar Pradesh led by Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, that will lead to a qualitative change in the election battle in the country in not only Uttar Pradesh but also in the other states like Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa where also, the assembly elections are taking place along with UP. The significance of this alliance lies in the fact that this alliance will ensure the support of the maximum number of muslims who constitute 17 per cent of the electorate in UP. The earlier pessimistic mood among the minority community about the invincibility of the BJP due to the disunity in the secular ranks, will be gone and this Akhilesh-Rahul combine, will also help in attracting a large number of young voters who earlier were disgruntled with the SP due to the party feud. There is going to be a considerable shift in the Brahmin votes .In sum, the alliance will help in imparting a big dynamism to the campaign of both SP and the Congress energizing the demoralized Congress cadres from the slumber.

In perspective, taking the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 in view, the victory of the SP-Congress alliance in the 2017 assembly elections, is of paramount importance in facilitating the process of broad based unity of the opposition parties. The defeat of BJP will send shockwaves to the BJP central leadership and the dissident voices which have been silenced by the Modi-Amit Shah combine, will be louder posing serious problems for the prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minister is under attack from the grassroots of BJP as the ground effect of demonetisation, has impacted them also. All the leading economists have come out with the view that the decision which was unilateral and devoid of economic sense, has adversely affected the poor, not the rich as is being claimed by the PM. The IMF in its latest report released on January 16 has categorically said that India’s growth level will go down by 1 per cent in 2016-17 due to the effects of demonetisation. Mr. Modi is now talking of building a cashless digitized India while the rural poor and the unorganized workers are becoming jobless following the impact of demonetisation.

This is the right time to strike at the BJP and the NDA government by the united opposition. There are big differences among the anti-BJP parties and it will be a Herculean task to bring them on a common platform but if there is a broad understanding about the dimension of the threat which the saffron forces are posing to the future of this great country with diverse religions and culture, many ways can be found out to have a minimum agreement on the issue of forging a common front against the BJP and the parivar.

The political reality of India at the moment is that no solid anti-BJP front is possible without the participation of the Congress which is organizationally fighting BJP in the states where the regional parties are not there. For instance, in UP, the SP is the bigger party and the Congress can be its second rank ally but in four other states where the assembly elections are being held, the Congress is the main party fighting BJP. In Punjab and Goa, AAP is a contender for power along with the Congress against BJP and its allies but in Uttarakhand and Manipur, the Congress has to fight mainly to defeat BJP. That way, major responsibility for defeating BJP in the state assembly elections, devolves on the Congress and its success in the assembly elections by defeating BJP, will give it the right to get its rightful place as the leader of the opposition camp including the regional parties.

In sum, the opposition parties who are against the BJP and want the Modi government to be out of power after 2019 Lok Sabha polls, have to move with a spirit of accommodation even in 2017 state assembly polls. In Uttarakhand, there may be some u8nderstanding between the Congress and the BSP and in Punjab and Goa, the Congress and AAP can have tacit understanding in selected weak and strong seats with the objective of defeating BJP. If the sole objective is the defeat of BJP, ways can be found out in the course of the election campaign to inflict maximum damage to the BJP by joint efforts.

Those parties who are determined to protect the secular character of India, have to keep it in mind that the parivar is speedily expanding its tentacles over every sphere of society, especially education and cultural sectors. If the BJP is allowed to win again in 2019 polls, it will lead to disaster for the Indian society. The Congress, the regional parties and the Left have to show spirit of accommodation for taking up the challenge. The Congress and the other anti-BJP parties have to go the wholehog in defeating BJP in all the five states in the February-March assembly elections. If the victory is achieved in majority of the states including UP, the momentum against the BJP will be generated and that will have its reflection on the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal by the end of 2017.

The battle is very tough as the BJP has got huge resources, muscle power and the centre’s support. But the battle can be won if the opposition parties are dead set to take on BJP and the parivar. The Congress has to give up its arrogance as the natural party of governance. The Left has to be an integral part of this broad anti-BJP battle and help in formulating the front’s minimum programme. Mamata Banerjee will certainly be an important leader of this combination. That should not lead the CPI(M) to delink itself from this battle. The removal of Modi government should be the prime objective and it is a national task for every left and democrat. (IPA Service)