DNA Edit: Disunited they stand

It appears that a unified ​Opposition is a fantasy of polar-opposite parties. The glue holding them together — a grouse against PM ​Narendra ​Modi and the BJP — isn’t strong enough to overpower their numerous differences. The mish-mash of ideologies aside, inter-party squabbling over who is going to be the face of the Opposition has already caused fissures. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who has long nursed ambitions of playing a much bigger role in national politics, has seized this opportunity to cast aspersions on Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s capabilities to lead the Opposition.

This shows that the Gandhi scion doesn’t inspire much confidence in his so-called fellow travellers. Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily is right in pointing out that Sonia Gandhi would be much more effective in pulling off an alliance. Despite his success in Gujarat Assembly polls, Rahul is still considered a lightweight. Till a few months ago, his bumbling ways became a cause of embarrassment even for the Congress, though none within the party dared to question his elevation to the post of party president. Banerjee has no such compulsion. With West Bengal firmly in her grip, she wouldn’t mind upstaging Rahul for a bigger share of the pie.

The Gandhi scion may have a friend in Samajwadi Party’s young supremo Akhilesh Yadav, but that might not tilt the scales in his favour. The CPI-M clearly wouldn’t accept Rahul’s leadership, and chances are DMK’s Stalin wouldn’t defer to Rahul’s aspiration either. It’s easy to say that like-minded parties will come together and rally to “save” the Constitution. Opposition unity cannot be based on just common dislike. Given its diminishing clout and shrinking national footprint, the Congress should take a backseat for now.