Ahead of a grand Opposition Unity meeting in Patna spearheaded by Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on June 12, state leaderships of Congress are reportedly in fix.
The Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal Congress leaderships have reportedly objected to the party standing in support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, in their war against the Center and has dismissed the thought of a grand coalition including the ruling party in the capital city.
The Delhi government has locked horns with the Center over an ordinance on services and postings in Delhi.
The Ordinance passed by the Center overrules a Supreme Court order stating Delhi government is in charge of the postings of bureaucrats. The latter’s ordinance states that the Lieutenant Governor is the final judge of the issue.
According to media reports, in a meeting convened by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi, in Delhi, leaders including party in charge Shaktising Gohil, Ajay Maken, Arvinder Lovely, Haroon Yusuf, Chaudhary Anil Kumar raised objections to the proposed meet with AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
However, they have left the final decision to the party leadership.
Congress last week announced that it will be a part of the opposition meeting on June 12.
Last Monday, Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said, “The Congress party has not taken any decision on the issue of the Ordinance brought against the SC judgment on the powers of the Government of NCT of Delhi with respect to the appointment of officers. It will consult its state units and other like-minded parties on the same. The party believes in the Rule of Law and at the same time does not condone unnecessary confrontation, political witch-hunt and campaigns based on lies against political opponents by any political party.”
Bengal Congress vs TMC
In West Bengal, alongside the Congress, the Left has also questioned the justification of inviting Trinamool Congress to the meeting.
State Congress president, veteran party Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had gone a step ahead in claiming that whatever might be the outcome of the meeting on June 12, Congress will continue to oppose Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
“In West Bengal our movement is against the BJP and TMC and that will continue. TMC is actually a pawn of the BJP to create fissures in the opposition alliance,” he said.
The CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that although it is a good initiative to unite all opposition forces against the BJP, the question is whether TMC has the credibility to be included in that initiative.
“Trinamool Congress indirectly helped BJP in the elections for the President and Vice- President of India. In times of crisis, Trinamool Congress has always provided clandestine support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he alleged.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate of the Calcutta High Court Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya said that the necessity of a grand opposition alliance is always desirable and only those political forces willing to oppose the BJP true to their spirits should be included in that.
“BJP will always try to implant Trojan Horses within the opposition front. In such a situation the inclusion of Trinamool Congress in that process will not be a desirable step. Rather, the model of Left Front and Congress understanding in West Bengal should be followed nationally,” he said.
Countering the Trinamool Congress leaders, Rajya Sabha member Dr Santanu Sen said that the arguments of CPI(M) and the Congress leadership in West Bengal are totally insignificant since they have no relevance.
“When the entire country has identified chief minister Mamata Banerjee as the leader of the opposition, then what the CPI(M) and Congress leaders in West Bengal say does not really matter,” he said.
The leader of the opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari said that the party’s opposition to TMC in West Bengal is just eyewash.
“On one hand the Adhir Ranjan is speaking of opposing TMC in West Bengal, on the other hand Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi is the main saviour of Trinamool Congress and West Bengal government in the Supreme Court,” he said.
