While the opposition dreams to bring down the Modi government, well before the 2024 elections, regional parties already seem divided in deciding the way forward and the leadership that they might fight 2024 under. While Mamata Banerjee has gone all guns blazing against the ineptitude of the Congress party, Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece has today asserted that the opposition parties need UPA to win 2024.
In its mouthpiece, Shiv Sena has said that while Mamata Banerjee has criticised the Congress party in Mumbai, the opposition needs UPA to win 2024.
Shivsena mouthpiece #Saamana says “देश में कांग्रेस की नेतृत्व वाली ‘यूपीए’ कहां है? यह सवाल मुंबई में आकर ममता बनर्जी ने पूछा| यह प्रश्न मौजूदा स्थिति में अनमोल है।….लेकिन विपक्षियों को यूपीए की जरूरत है। यूपीए के समानांतर दूसरा गठबंधन बनाना यह भाजपा के हाथ मजबूत करने जैसा है|” pic.twitter.com/VcT4zXNNoU
— Marya Shakil (@maryashakil) December 4, 2021
“Where is the Congress-led ‘UPA’ in the country? This question was asked by Mamta Banerjee after coming to Mumbai. This question is priceless in the current situation….But the opposition needs UPA. Forming a second alliance parallel to the UPA is like strengthening the hands of the BJP”, Shiv Sena said in Saamana.
Essentially, while the Shiv Sena acknowledged the ineptitude and absence of Congress-led UPA, they also said that the opposition needs UPA because forming a second alliance like the UPA would mean strengthening the hands of BJP.
Mamata Banerjee had recently lashed out at the Congress party and the Congress-led UPA on the whole questioning their absence in the fight against the Modi government. In an interaction with the civil society in Mumbai, Mamata had said, “If one does nothing and is abroad half the time, then how will one do politics? For politics, there should be continuous endeavour.”
The West Bengal Chief Minister’s statement was primarily seen as a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently vacationed abroad. Mamata Banerjee had also claimed that the UPA no longer exists.
On Wednesday, December 1, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee courted controversy with her “What’s UPA” remark.
To a question from the media on her meeting with Sharad Pawar in Mumbai and whether she believed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader should lead the UPA (United Progressive Alliance), Banerjee snubbed the Congress by exclaiming: “What UPA? There is no UPA now? What is the UPA? We will clear all issues. We want a strong alternative,” she said.
Mamata making these remarks to bargain better with Congress with Shiv Sena playing mediator?
It is indeed true that the opposition would ultimately need Congress if they hope to even make an electoral dent in 2024. While victory would still allude them, as Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had recently observed, if the opposition has any hope to even arrest the further rise of BJP at the centre, they would have to fight as a block.
With the new alliance shaping up consisting mostly of regional parties, it stands to reason that at the national level, they would lack not just the money to fight 2024, but also the organisational strength. Further, there are several ego clashes between the cadre of regional parties. For example, the NCP cadre and the Shiv Sena cadre have been involved in fights before after the alliance was formed.
While the Shiv Sena decided to abandon its Hindutva ideology and its stance against NCP, Congress, its cadre is still deeply rooted in the ideology. Owing to that, the cadre of NCP and Shiv Sena hardly see eye to eye.
Owing to such differences, the regional parties would certainly need a national force to unite them all.
Given this, Mamata Banerjee’s criticism of Congress was baffling. The only explanation to Mamata Banerjee’s comments, if we ignore the hubris, could be that she is using these comments as a bargaining chip.
With the Congress party going electorally downhill, Mamata Banerjee may be thinking that she could emerge as the face of the opposition in 2024 and these comments could be used as a bargaining chip with the Congress to let her lead the third front.
Shiv Sena, on the other hand, perhaps recognises the fact that at the national level, none of these regional parties would be able to pull in the organisational strength needed to take on a behemoth like the BJP. Further, at the regional level, Shiv Sena’s existence is dependent on Congress. Therefore, Shiv Sena was attempting to play mediator between Congress and Mamata Banerjee, at the same time, buttering up the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi.
With the opposition divided already, one has to wonder how they can even hope to take on the Modi government given that it would seem that they cannot even decide who should lead the opposition front.
