Omkar Dattatray
Opposition unity this time is vastly different this time and is different from unity of opposition of 2014 and 2019. It is more real and solid and is not impossible given the desire ,need and urge of the opposition parties and it cannot be called chimera as the opposition parties are not day dreaming and are not seeing Mungari Lal Ke Sawpne, but they will be successful in their daunting and challenging job of defeating the mighty and arrogant BJP in the general elections of 2024 and the only requirement and essential condition is that they must unite and leave their egos and minor differences. The way non-BJP parties are meeting and joining together to show the door to BJP in 2024 general elections is not an ordinary thing for the countries politics and it may pave way for a non-BJP government at the centre.
The big, experienced and active leaders of the opposition parties are working day and night to cobble and forge opposition unity is praise worthy and it seems at the end of the day they will be successful in the end and will dislodge BJP from power. Opposition unity is not something utopian but is real as they are joining hands to defeat the saffron party from again rising to power and if the opposition parties will be successful in their mission and objective, it will be a crucial and historical development in the politics of our multi-party democracy. For being successful in forging unity among them, the opposition parties should defer to nominate the prime ministerial candidate and leave this important matter to be decided later on after the Lok Sabha elections.
The way opposition leaders are eager to forge unity among themselves, may leaves no scope for the BJP to again capture power in 2024.Change is the law of nature and the people of the country this time want some change and for this they will change their mind and behavior and oust the pro rich BJP from the seat of power by exercising their right of vote and so will they vote for non-BJP parties in crucial polls of 2024. The way the opposition parties had met recently at Patna is praise worthy and the first battle of ballot has begin and it will fruitful in 2024 with the active involvement of all opposition parties. The APP and its leaders and its supremo Arvind Kejriwal should give unconditional support to the opposition unity and should not blackmail the grand alliance.
The AAP should not attach the condition of opposing the Delhi ordinance of the centre government but join hands with other opposition parties including the Congress.
Most probably congress will oppose the centre ordinance in Raj Sabha which is aimed to clip the wings of Delhi government of AAP headed by Kajriwal. But as of now AAP leaders should not make this issue as a pre condition to not only join opposition unity, however help in the endeavors of the leaders trying to cobble opposition unity. Similarly the Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and its leaders and that of the grand old party of Congress should not resort to blackmailing each other but instead see the reason and leave their minor differences and come together for their big motive and objective of dislodging the saffron party from the power.
Congress leader and scion of Gandhi-Nehru family Rahul Gandhi has said rightly that in order to save the institutions of the country from the assault and also to save democracy, it is important for all the opposition parties ,small and big and of the national and regional parties to join hands and forge grand alliance which will defeat the saffron party in 2024 polls. However for this it is necessary that all the non-BJP parties should unite for giving a stunning defeat to the BJP. But it is easier said than done and it requires unflinching support and active participation of all the opposition parties so that they will be in a position to give a tough fight to the saffron party and in fact to defeat it in crucial general elections of 2024. The leaders of the main opposition parties should propagate and advertise the misrule and pro corporate and pro rich policies of the BJP government. The opposition should pinpoint the failures and limitations of the BJP rule and counter it with solid evidence of its failures. The congress and all opposition leaders should work day and night for the defeat of the BJP in 2024 elections and they should leave no opportunity to oppose the ruling party. The opposition parties should do positive and constructive politics and shun negative politics and try to win the hearts and minds of the people. The opposition meeting of the non -BJP parties held recently at Patna at the initiative of Nitesh Kumar chief minister of Bihar, the NCP senior leader Sharad Pawar, and TMC supremo and chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Benerjee has been a success to vast extant as the opposition leaders had in a joint press briefing at Patna said that the next meeting of the opposition parties will be held in Shimla under the chairmanship of TMC leaders Shrad Pawar at Shimla and it in itself shows that the Patna conclave of the opposition parties was successful because at least they have agreed to meet very soon in Shimla to have further fruitful deliberations and discussions about the unity move and find the ways to forge grand alliance which can fight the BJP in 2024.
However all the opposition leaders should have to tighten their belts and work very hard if they want to defeat the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections of 2024.
The opposition parties and especially the congress should not be complacent in view of the fact that they have trounced the BJP in Karnataka and have won the assembly elections but it is no guarantee that congress will be able to repeat the success story of Karnataka at the national level. So all the opposition parties should work under some acceptable leaders to fight the battle of 2024 and defeat the BJP which will be a historical political development. Let the opposition conclave of the non-BJP parties be successful in their unity move and forge a grand alliance which will be in a position to fight the BJP in 2024 polls and it is not so easy and for this all big and regional parties should shun their egos and minor differences and contradictions and unite to defeat the mighty BJP in 2024 general elections. In politics and love nothing is impossible and so defeat of BJP and win of the opposition is not impossible.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist).
