‘Uninspiring’ state of Congress spurs regional biggies to give teeth to opposition manch

Typical Congress backers may be patting themselves on their back over NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Yashwat Sinha-mentored Rashtra Manch remark that it has no ‘anti-BJP and anti-Congress third front’ plan. But the hardboiled Congressmen have read a discomforting message in the Pawar-Mamata Banerje-boosted Manch play – a well-designed build-up by regional powers to steadily activate a ‘non-Congress leadership-led’ initiative to rebuild ‘anti-BJP unity’ that will encourage the Congress to jog along but not as the group leader. The recent Manch meeting was attended by seven non-Congress opposition parties.”It is worrying to see physical and political distances growing among opposition parties when the Modi government is feeling the pressure of Covid-19 and economic crisis,” a senior Congress leader close to the Gandhis told ET. “I can’t say whom this hurts more, the BJP or the Congress.”The larger opposition circles see the Manch initiative in the context of impressive show by the regional parties against the BJP compared to the Congress’ – Trinamool in Bengal, DMK in Tamil Nadu, Left in Kerala, NCP-Sena outsmarting BJP in Maharashtra, RJD’s spirited resistance in Bihar and SP recouping in UP panchayat polls ahead of assembly elections.

“The compositions of anti-BJP fronts/governments in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and fate of many Congress’ solo fights, present the ideal future role for the Congress in a national anti-BJP set up – as part of the front but in a supporting role,” a regional leader said.The traditional counter argument that Congress “is the natural pivot” of any anti-BJP opposition unity since it fights one-on-one against the BJP in over 200 LS seats, regional leaders feel, has crumbled under the GoP’s electoral ruins. Of the 52 Congress’ Lok Sabha MPs, 46 won against non-BJP rivals from non-Hindi speaking states – 15 from Kerala, 8 each from Tamil Nadu and Punjab, 3 each from Telangana and Assam, 2 from Bengal, and one each from Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Odisha, Goa, Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands – and just 6 in “direct fight against BJP” in Hindi-speaking states and Gujarat (1 of 80 in UP, 1/40 in Bihar, 1/28 of MP, 0/26 in Gujarat, 0/25 in Rajasthan, 1/14 in Jharkhand, 2/11 in Chhattisgarh, 0/10 in Haryana and 0/7 in Delhi, 0/5 in Uttarakhand and 0/3 in HP). The Congress LS show was worse in 2014. Yet, AICC communication wing provides comic relief by trying to connect with non-Hindi regions through Hindi press briefings!The fact that the Congress’ LS count is just three more than the seats bagged by its breakaway parties – Trinamool, YSRC and NCP – explains the attitude and resolve of the Pawar-Mamata axis (with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy likely to join in due course). Add their 49 to other regional parties’ combined LS seats and the number easily dwarfs the Congress in opposition. Further, some among these regional leaders, unlike the Gandhis, are better at wooing Congress’ turf-rivals such as the YSRCP, TRS, BJD and SAD into the larger opposition camp. While Sonia Gandhi has a record of leading Congress-led UPA against BJP, many across opposition turf now feel she is past her prime and that her only remaining obsession is to promote/protect her two children’s career, even as the duo’s demonstrated leadership shortcomings are visible to the rest of the opposition.The person now facing competition from regional biggies is the former (and soon-to-be the next) Congress president Rahul Gandhi. They see in Rahul’s track record more evidences of scripting failures and disunity. Rahul’s de facto and de jure leadership in Congress’ two crippling LS poll defeats, his undoing of last two years by playing a ‘reluctant leader’ while exercising unlimited power in the headless Congress leadership (under the interim president), Rahul (and sister Priyanka) leading the party to more assembly poll defeats, the siblings’ failure to stop their ‘pals’ from defecting to BJP or making a spectacle against own CMs/state governments – and within Maharashtra alliance – have further downgraded the Gandhis’ standing in the opposition. Team Rahul-Priyanka’s daily broadcast of their dislike for senior Congress leaders have only added to senior regional leaders’ scepticism.As regional biggies start their opposition unity efforts, the Congress brass is being called upon to either support these anti-BJP efforts or faithfully work for recouping Rahul’s leadership – and him ‘reviving’ the Congress in lost lands – for the umpteenth time, amid the 10 Janpath-prodded search for ‘muhurat’ for Rahul’s re-elevation.