The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– Sep 29, 2022; Day 359

Separately together: On Opposition unity

Opposition parties are too divided on several issues to form a national alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party

With the 2024 Lok Sabha election 19 months away, the chorus (Any utterance produced simultaneously by a group) on Opposition unity is getting louder once more. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the last one month has already been to Delhi twice, crooning (Sing softly) the anthem to bring everyone together. He is not the only one singing this song. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has travelled to Delhi, Patna and Bengaluru to explore an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) front. The Left parties routinely call for uniting all “secular democratic forces” without really spelling out who will come within this bracket (A category falling within certain defined limits). But despite these parleys (A negotiation between enemies), the possibility of a 1977-type Opposition alliance is unlikely to materialise (Come into being; become reality). At an event organised by the Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana recently, several parties came together, but the Congress was pointedly (In such a manner as to make something clearly evident) excluded, prompting Mr. Kumar to publicly state that no Opposition alliance can be meaningful without it. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav is never found wanting in taking on the BJP, but is now sceptical (Marked by or given to doubt) about tying up with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress and is very hostile (Characterized by enmity or ill will) to the idea of Mr. Kumar trying to expand his footprint (The area taken up by some object) into Uttar Pradesh. The Congress is critical for any Opposition unity and its former President Rahul Gandhi is walking from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with the slogan of ‘unite India’. But the party is also caught up in a storm of internal politics at the moment.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is fancying (Imagine; conceive of; see in one’s mind) his prospects of emerging as the alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and does not want to dilute (Lessen the strength or flavour of a solution or mixture) his stakes (a right or legal share of something) in a larger formation. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which is the second largest Opposition party in Parliament, has been eerily (Inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening) silent on ‘opposition unity’. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is no longer exhibiting the enthusiasm she showed ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The TMC chose to abstain (Refrain from voting) rather than side with the Opposition in the Vice-Presidential election. It is not as if Opposition unity alone can defeat the BJP. In 2019 in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and the BSP came together but failed to push back the BJP in the State. Still, State-level partnerships of anti-BJP parties can be more viable (Capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are) than national-level attempts. The more these parties try to show unity at the national or multi-State level, the more their contradictions (Opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas) show up. Focusing on each State separately, attending to the local particularities, might be more useful for these parties.

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