Heather Wolf once said, ‘Everyday is a new day to hope, dream and try again’. Congress’ hope to take on BJP and notion to whitewash PM Modi by the ‘united opposition strategy,’ came tumbling down as Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today said that it was not in talks with the Congress for an alliance for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls slated for later this year.
Buoyed by the formation of its alliance government in Karnataka, a Congress leader last month had hinted the party would be inclined to align with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to wrest power from the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Unfortunately the strategies Congress is trying to braid in its quest to defeat BJP seem to be not working in their favour.
A senior state BSP leader added that the party would, as things stand today, contest all 230 Assembly seats in the state. Talking to PTI, BSP state president Narmada Prasad Ahirwar said, “I was asked by the media that Congress leaders were saying that there are discussions underway with the BSP for an alliance for the next assembly elections. I clarified that we are not in discussions at the state level and, I think neither at the central leadership level.”
The state Congress, meanwhile, going back on their words claimed that it never said alliance talks were underway with the BSP. “We never named any party. The Congress only said that we would try to have an alliance with political parties with a similar ideology. We never mentioned the BSP’s name. It will depend on the situation when we enter the election phase,” Madhya Pradesh Congress’ media department’s chief Manak Agarwal said.
The political parties, despite having differences in opinions and contrasting ideologies, in its power crusade, are all set to take bizarre decisions and are ready to stretch to any length to form outlandish alliances for political benefits.
Despite having a difference of opinion on the Delhi government’s standoff with the Lieutenant Governor, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday met TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. According to Trinamool Congress insiders, Patel’s visit indicates the interest of the Congress and the importance of Banerjee in cobbling together a coalition of opposition parties.
The Indian political graph is such that every now and then we see politicians changing their stance, breaking ties and building fresh ones. Last year at the end of July when Nitish Kumar had decided to sever ties with the “Mahagathbandhan” and join the BJP, it was speculated that the opposition or what was left of it, might get more united than before in order to somehow try and defeat the BJP. In order to portray the unity, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav had organized a “Desh Bachao, Bhajpa Bhagao” rally in Patna on 27th August last year which came across as a solemn affair with alleged low attendance which reportedly led Lalu to tweet an allegedly morphed photo showing packed crowds to somehow try and portray the rally as success.
A high octane political drama is yet to unfold as we move towards the 2019 general elections. The United Opposition ‘khicchdi’ has too many Prime Ministerial mouths to feed. It is for the voters to be prudent and decide correctly. Will we vote on rhetoric and a plea of negativity, or will we ask those who seek a vote to clarify, define their ideological positions and vote on that basis?
