Basic agreement has already been reached over the need of a Grand Opposition Alliance of secular democratic political parties, a fact that has been acknowledge even by the majoritarian Hindutva political leaders of BJP-RSS family, or else why should they mock the move so vehemently if they considered it insignificant?

PM Narendra Modi and the BJP-RSS clan during their election campaign just before 2014 Lok Sabha elections had been clamouring for an India free from Congress with the slogan “Congress Mukt Bharat”. However, the opposition’s clamour for an India free from BJP with the slogan “BJP Mukt Bharat” is ringing in the ears of the BJP leaders, which made one of them Sushil Modi to mock the unity effort.

BJD of Odisha, BRS of Telangana, YSRCP of Andhra Pradesh are the three major political parties that are still guided with their regional aspirations and are not likely to participate in the Grand Opposition Meet. Most of the other political parties have agreed to meet in Patna on June 23, in spite of their heart burns, regional aspirations, political contradictions on account of scathing comments carelessly made or keeping aloof from each other in their times of need.

Though the BJD, BRS, and YSRCP are not participating in the opposition meet, not one can mistake about their nature of politics which is essentially secular and democratic, apart from a willingness to have a stronger federal character of the country. They don’t support the BJP’s majoritarian Hindutva politics trying to create stronger Centre in violation of the federalism provisioned by the Constitution of India, and hence they may well ally with the Grand Opposition if they succeed in ending the political dominance of the BJP-RSS majoritarian Hindutva politics after the Lok Sabha election 2024. In any case these three political parties have successfully restrained the BJP in their respective states, and therefore, politically speaking, it would not have any detrimental effect on secular democratic politics of the Grand Opposition alliance if formalises.

The foremost point to note is the agreed participation of the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the party leader Rahul Gandhi. Congress is a national political party which also have strong presence in several states along with the regional political parties. Congress has recently thrown BJP out of power in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka rekindling a great hope in the party leadership and its rank and file that they may repeat it at the national level too, if a proper strategy is put on place. BJP’s sharp reactions against Congress and Rahul Gandhi on every possible occasion is their indirect acceptance of significance of Congress and Rahul Gandhi, which they can’t ignore.

Congress seems to be willing to have alliance with the political parties with similar views on Indian politics based on the values of federalism, secularism, democracy, and inclusive politics which constituted the foundation of Independent India and its Constitution, rather than authoritarian, communal, majoritarian, and divisive politics of the BJP-RSS that run just opposite to the basic tenets of the Constitution of India.

Participation of TMC led by Mamata Banerjee, SP led by Akhilesh Yadav, and AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal is another noteworthy development who were earlier just not ready to have any talk with Congress or its leader Rahul Gandhi, what to talk about alliance. TMC and AAP have Congress as chief political rival in their respective states. Despite opposing political interests their participation in the unity talk is significant. SP has strong support base in Uttar Pradesh and has been against any alliance with Congress, but they will be there on the same table.

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti from Jammu & Kashmir would be participating despite their heart burns on account of lack of support to them by the political parties in opposition when Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019 by Modi government while ending the statehood and bifurcating it into two UTs. Even recently, when AAP leader Kejriwal was trying to get support against the Delhi Ordinance, Omar Abdullah had sharply retorted as to where he was when Article 370 was abrogated? However, heart burns have been forgot in favour of unity talk for a Grand Alliance against dominating majoritarian Hindutva politics of Modi.

The NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar will also be participating in the Opposition Meet and also Shiv Sen (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Top left leaders would include CMP leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D Raja, and Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI-ML. Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin and Jharkhand CM would also be there. RJP leader Lalu Yadav and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav are playing significant roles.

The fierce political opponents have just ignored their differences to meet for a joint strategy against communal domination of BJP-RSS politics led by PM Narendra Modi. Their contradictory political aspirations are not so unbending now. They are just focusing on offering one-on-one contests to BJP in majority of seats modalities for which would be decided later on.

Deciding on PM candidate of the Grand Opposition in not on the agenda for now, neither the minor details of the constituency wise seat sharing arrangements. Identification of the basis of unity and the imponderables there to would be the chief consideration.

BJP-RSS leaders in the meantime are drumming up and amplifying the contradictions and differing political aspirations of the opposition leaders and claiming impossibility of any Grand Opposition alliance. However, the opposition leaders of 18 non-BJP political parties are moving ahead to participate in the Patna Opposition Meet on June 23 to devise a broad framework of unity. It is a sure sign of resurgent opposition, the BJP and PM Modi will have to deal with during the Lok Sabha election 2024. (IPA Service)