Is Congress’ Presence Mandatory for Opposition’s Grand Alliance?

SP and BSP not joining hands with Congress in the upcoming state elections is an alarming situation.

File image of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

(Photo: IANS)

While the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) might have dented the image of a “united Opposition” ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana, the decision of the two parties might have far bigger consequences than what meets the eye, vis-à-vis the 2019 General elections.

While all parties are now going through an existential crisis, SP and BSP not joining hands with the Congress has given the ruling BJP a big relief. The Congress, on the other hand, is looking to compromise and not sacrifice.

In an ordinary scenario, Opposition parties fighting independently won’t come as a surprise. But is the current scenario in the country ordinary at all?

Meanwhile, amid the politicking, core issues like job creation, violence in universities, bank scams, the falling Rupee, etc have taken the backseat.

While the government is busy destroying the credibility of HAL in the alleged Rafale scam, statements of former French President Francois Hollande are also being refuted.

Meanwhile, mindless encounters and lynchings in the name of cow protection are gaining prominence.

International relations, especially with the neighbouring nations don’t look great either. While anti-India sentiments are taking roots in the Maldives and Bhutan, Nepal is cosying up to China.

On one hand, the government is fiercely promoting the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, while on the other it’s assuring Bangladesh that no citizen will be sent back.

Such issues raise some very pertinent questions.

Has it become extremely necessary to oust the BJP government? If yes, an alliance of the Opposition parties is mandatory. But, does the Congress necessarily need to be a part of the said alliance?

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(Purushottam Agarwal is a contributing editor for Quint Hindi. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)