The Mahagathbandhan, stitching of a Grand Alliance by the Congress ahead of the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha elections, seems to have been grounded before it could even take flight.
Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati backed out on Wednesday, saying she will no longer ally with Congress in any of the poll-bound states. This move that will have a cascading effecs on Congress' prospects in the upcoming elections.
In a press conference, Mayawati minced no words against Congress leaders, while sparing party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. "Congress' arrogance knows no bounds. They say that they will defeat BJP on their own. But the ground reality is that the people have punished the Congress and are not ready to forgive them. This is why BJP took advantage of this fact and is in power across many states today. And it is spreading politics of hatred based on casteism and communalism," she said. She particularly targeted party leaders like former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, even calling him a "BJP agent".
Seat-sharing, as well as infighting among its state cadres, seems to have halted any progress the party has made among its alliance partners.
As per sources in Congress, the alliance in Madhya Pradesh fell through as Mayawati wanted no less than 50 seats. "The party was willing to offer 35 seats, even with the risk that the BSP might not be able to win all the seats. Any more than that would mean that we lose the entire state. That was not acceptable to us," said one leader on condition of anonymity.
The alliance with the BSP has also fallen through in poll-bound Rajasthan. In this state, the Congress is experiencing another hurdle — the game of one-upmanship between its towering leaders former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) chief Sachin Pilot who are vying to distribute as many tickets as they can to their loyalists.
West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, too, had not raised the Rafale issue against the BJP government. The senior most minister of Mamata's cabinet, Subrata Mukherjee told DNA, "I don't know why but we have not raised the Rafale issue in Bengal. There was no instruction from the party high command for us to attack the BJP on this issue."
State Congress leaders too said that TMC leaders had been selective in their attack on the Centre. "They have not raised the Rafale issue and neither have they strongly protested against the oil price hike. Perhaps the TMC leaders are afraid that if they do that there would be a stronger inquiry into the Saradha, Narada and Rose Valley cases," said state Congress president Somen Mitra. He added that if Mamata is hell bent in bringing BJP down by creating a federal front, she cannot be selective about issues against the Centre. "In a way, it looks like she is indirectly making the BJP strong by not protesting on these issues," Mitra said.
The Congress tried to downplay the snub. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that they will approach Mayawati with love and in good faith.
"Mayawati ji has expressed mutual respect and confidence vis-a-vis Congress president Rahul Gandhi as also our leader and guide Sonia Gandhi; we welcome it. That is the most important issue rather than reading multiple meanings in what she has said. I don't think alliances are announced or discussed in press conferences," said Surjewala. "We do not agree or accept the personal comments made by any Opposition leader against any Congress leader. But we also know that sometime, under emotive states, people say things."
In Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar came out in the defence of PM Narendra Modi in the Rafale deal much to the surprise of everyone, before retracting the statement a day later. The Congress has initiated talks with secular and like-minded parties in the state like the NCP, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Republican Party of India factions led by Rajendra Gavai and Jogendra Kawade, Peasants Workers Party (PWP) and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS). In addition to that, the Congress also proposes to rope in Samajwadi Party while NCP is quite eager to bring on board the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
However, with all parties demanding more seats, it will be difficult for Congress and NCP to finalise any seat-sharing in Maharashtra as well.
Bharatiya Republican Party Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar has flatly refused to join hands with NCP but has shown desire to ally with Congress. Ambedkar has already announced his party's alliance with The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen headed by Asaduddin Owaisi. The alliance may eat into Congress party's traditional vote bank of dalits and muslims. Shiv Sena, which has been reiterating its move to go solo, has dubbed the alliance between Ambedkar and Owaisi as BJP's 'B Party'.
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