Er. P.L. Khushu
About 15 Opposition parties Gathbandhan meeting in Patna to chart out 2024 poll strategy in initiated by Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, has been a big failure of the show of strength of these lost heroes of dynastic base and rules, who have been rejected by the electorate of India and are now on the cross roads of their defeated and dejected destinies. Better feel shy than celebrate should have been their aim to seek apology from the nation for their conventional standards of adverse governance, full of red tape and corrupt practices, which saw Indians having been looted in all facets of development.
Drawing the battle lines, opposition parties resolved to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party untidily in 2024 Lok Sabha elections in this crucial meeting here, even as fissures emerged with the AAP asserting that it would be difficult for it to be part of any such gathering in future till the Congress publicly supports it on the ordinance issue.
At a joint press meeting, opposition parties said they would fight the polls on a common agenda and state-wise strategy, setting aside their differences with a flexible approach. “We will have to evolve separate plans for every state and we will work together to dethrone the BJP at the Centre, was the opinion of the present congress president, who got elevated to this post with a dynastic support, when the veterans of the original congress party have already left this party. It is a party of a few now. Ghulam Nabi Azad Sahib is the prominent example.
A famous saying “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”. It applies to all of these family-based opposition party representatives, who had come on a good excursion to Patna, on the invitation of Nitish Kumar who is day dreaming to be the next Prime Minister of India, an illusion which he may fulfill in dreams, while losing his present status of being the chief minister of Patna, when Lalu Prasad’s progeny, his deputy chief minister is eying on his present seat, with a crooked eye. Who can help him? Who does not know his opportunist mind set, when he earlier too ditched the JDU and BJP in governance while defecting with his flock to both these political parties in a regular sequence alternatively for power. Shamelessness has limits but his approach to politics at this late stage of life with a good political background from the times of Jaiprakash Narayan, speaks about his acute frustration of mind, for reasons better known to him. Yes, probably he is jealous of Modi as the Prime Minister of India. But he ignores the fact that to be the Prime Minister of India, it needs one to have laudable visions and mighty mind to govern. Parochial and mercurial set of mind, which he possesses, does not work at such a position.
It will not be a big surprise if he again crosses over to NDA, even though he has burnt his fingers in the company of such people like Kejriwal, an opportunist of climatic values, when two of his ministers are cooling their heels in jails. It sounds as a pitiable proxim for such a onetime veteran politician who has probably dug his own grave himself, without any serene advice of his astute political colleagues of his times rather fall in the lap of Tejswai Yadav, an immature image of the family of suspected smells of red tape and corrupt practices. Who can help him? History will be privy to his doom with his own hands. It can be said about him as ” God save the king, when the king is dead”.
A smiling question arises here which asks, that are these defeated politicians when most of them are with family base, so much afraid of Modi, for his popularity, his vision, his honesty, his statesmanship, his grip on true democratic governance for the nation, his service to the poor and the downtrodden class of the people of India, his fame across the globe and above all his dedication to his duty as the Prime Minister of India. About more than 15 of them are in the ring of the line against Modi, when he pities their senseless turmoil against him with brutish comments against him.
These political leaders, when most of them are aged, must presently be suffering of high hypertension ailments, while seeing Modi in US in the White House with the US President Biden getting fully praised and admired by Biden, for his qualities of head and heart, as a world leader, not to speak of his beaming as a very good national leader, who brought the nation out of the clutches of the dynastic rules of congress who deprived India of a good governance and damaged its ethos of culture and harmony on all fronts.
This sad flock of political leaders on the day of their vicious meeting on the 23rd of June, without any purpose, must have eaten their own tongue during their luncheon, while seeing Modi dinning in the White House in US with Biden the President of US.
These political leaders must have thumped their foreheads with full palm, while watching Modi addressing the US Congress, when the reverberating slogans of Modi, Modi, Modi were emanating from the four walls of America the USA.
This defeated lot of political leaders must have thought of getting their body joints oiled after seeing Modi representing Yoga practices in United Nation, which was attended by the elite class of world famous celebrities.
How can it be helped for these fallen and disgruntled political leaders by any one, when some of them are on bail, or are on the radar of judicial processes of sorts?
Who were the constituents of this unholy” Ghath-Bandhan” meeting, let us prod. Rahul Gandhi, the family product of Gandhi’s and son of Sonia Gandhi, who is on bail on a criminal case, when he is punished with two years jail term. Tejaswi Yadav, deputy chief minister of Bihar, son of Lalu Yadav, ex Chief Minister of Bihar and ex central minster recently freed from jail, crowned with heavy corruption charges, on different counts, representing JDU. Akhlesh Yadav, representing SP, son of late Sh. Mulayam Singh Yadav, ex Chief Minister of UP, and ex central minister. Omar Abdullah, representing NC, family product of Sheikh Abdullah, ex Chief Minister of J &K and son of Farooq Abdullah, ex Chief Minister of J&K, ex central minister and present MP from J&K.
Mehbooba Mufti representing PDD, daughter of Mufti Mohammad Syed, ex Chief Minister of J&K, and central minister, when PDD has not a single member in the both houses of Parliament. Why was she required in the meeting? Was it to show crowd of no end use. Stalin, son of Sh. Kurnanidhi, the ex chief minister of Tamil Nadu, the family bastion of Kurnanidhi’s. Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, son of Shubu Soren ex chief minister of Jharkhand who was also miserably involved in corruption cases. Maharashtra’s former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT), son of Sh. Bal-Thackeray along with his son, his grooming heir apparent. Supriya Sule daughter of Sharad Pawar, when Sh. Sharad Pawar does not need any more introductions, for his political alignments. Is it a family problem as they have lost power to rule? If the people of India have rejected them, who can help them. Such rejoicing meetings only speak about their meaningless excursions without any results.
The ever clever Kejriwal who is a master black mailer, has used these persons for his political interest to seek help from them for voting against the ordinance issued by the central government against his corrupt practices in the Rajya-Sbha. He went across the country on this mission on the government exchequer using Mann the chief minister of Punjab as a stooge and a face saver. It suited Mamta Banerjee against Modi and she gave him full support for the same, telling him that you can talk about the whole India with me but not Bengal.
Nitesh Kumar in his utter political frustration embraced him with welcome hands, without assessing the consequences of the friendship of Kejriwal, who ditched persons like Anna-Hazari , to come to power by hook or by crook. Congress showed him the door and made him to know his real worth of his worthlessness. They did not recognize him at all, when no interview was given to him by any responsible congress leader. It is very much unfortunate for the nation to see Kejriwal seated with persons like Shard Pawar, Mamta Banerjee, Sita Ram Yuchari, Farooq Abdullah and the like, when two ministers of Kejriwal are in jail for serious corruption charges. Is it all due to the wicked frustration of all such opposition leaders for the eminence and fame of Modi as a mass leader of not only India but as a world leader too.
Kejriwal a known blackmailer politician, tried to blackmail the situation in this futile exercise meeting in his favor. At the opposition meet in Patna, many parties urged the Congress to publicly denounce the “black ordinance”, but the grand old party refused to do so which raises suspicions about its “real intentions”, the AAP said in a statement soon after the meeting. “The Congress’ hesitation and refusal to act as a team player, especially on an issue as important as this one, will make it very difficult for the AAP to be a part of any alliance that includes the Congress,” the AAP said. “Until the Congress publicly denounces the black ordinance and declares that all 31 of its RS MPs will oppose the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha, it will be difficult for the AAP to participate in future meetings of like-minded parties where the Congress is a participant,” it added.
It boils down to a sordid fact that Kejriwal a habitual blackmailer and a known opportunist, had come to attend this meeting for his aim and purpose only. The Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit said that until the Congress publicly denounces the Centre’s ordinance on Delhi’s administrative services and declares that all 31 of its RS MPs will oppose the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha, it would be difficult for AAP to participate in future meetings of like-minded parties where the Congress is a participant. The Congress’ silence raises suspicions about its real intentions, the AAP said in the statement.
West Bengal Chief Minister, using the situation to her benefits, asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to sort out their issues on the Delhi Ordinance over a cup of tea and biscuits at a later date, reminding them that the Patna Opposition meeting was not the ideal forum for the discussion. This should serve as another jolt to Kejriwal on this count. He has been belittled and compared to a cup of tea and some biscuits. Is this ordinance so cheap? Kejriwal should think ten times before resorting to such peevish and childish maneuvers of black -mails . Once twice shy should the lesson learnt by Kejriwal from it. He has to go a long way before calling himself a tall leader. Probably that day will never come, seeing his immaturity and lack of power of governance.
Fissures emerged with the AAP asserting that it would be difficult for it to be part of any such gathering in future until the Congress publicly supports it on the ordinance issue. This is not the only emerging outcome of this meeting as all these leaders know that they cannot come together as they have their inherent interests for their political parties and some of them for their states. These political parties have been cut throat rivals against each other in the past and continue to do so, for their political interest and existence.
At a joint press meeting, as an illogical conclusion these opposition parties said they would fight the polls on a common agenda and state-wise strategy, setting aside their differences with a flexible approach. The plan of action is expected to be formulated at the second meeting to be chaired by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, tentatively on July 10 or 12, in Shimla. “We will have to evolve separate plans for every state and we will work together to dethrone the BJP at the Centre,” Kharge said. In this vast country of different colors and cultures is it possible for national political parties to frame seepage agendas and plans for fighting elections together by such political parties. So the plan of action is yet to be formulated and this present meeting was only a face saver for their public image and something to speak against BJP and Modi. They may befool themselves but not the conscious voter of this country. They are deadly afraid of Modi and his democratic ways of governance and ruthless actions against corruption, when some of the leaders of these political parties are deeply involved in corruption of sorts and are under the shadow of investigations by the relevant investigating agencies.
This meeting of all these political parties appeared for most of them as ” Look busy, do nothing”. Birds of the family feather flock together The BJP reacted strongly to the Opposition meeting, calling it a “multi-headed selfish alliance” and compared it with wolves hunting in packs.
(The author is a chartered consultant civil engineer, passionately attached to his mother land – Jammu & Kashmir).