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Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 14
A day after Opposition leaders signaled the formation of the United Progressive Alliance-3, BSP chief Mayawati threw a spanner in their works by snubbing the Congress, the party driving a national anti-BJP coalition.
The former UP CM today bracketed the Congress with the BJP, saying both the dispensations were “targeting” Muslims. “The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, like the BJP in the past, has slapped the atrocious National Security Act against Muslims for cow slaughter. Now, the UP BJP government has booked 14 Aligarh Muslim University students for sedition. Both are example of state terror and are condemnable. People should decide what the difference between Congress and BJP government is.”
Mayawati’s posturing came a day after SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav wished Narendra Modi returned as the PM, putting a spoke in the wheels of anti-BJP sentiments. The punch in Yadav’s remarks wasn’t lost on anyone, though the SP insisted that the veteran was just being nice.
Everything didn’t seem well within even the preliminary anti-BJP front that pledged to draft a common minimum programme soon. At least two leaders — AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee — who attended the Opposition meet that decided to have a CMP and a national pre-poll alliance sounded edgy today about the future of coalitions.
“If Congress does not understand that 2019 polls are about defeating BJP and that’s what people want, people will teach Congress a lesson. We need to field one candidate against the BJP to ensure consolidation of the anti-BJP vote. But the Congress has more or less said no to our alliance proposal in Delhi,” Kejriwal said.
Banerjee was personally learnt to be upset with the all-out attack West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Choudhry launched on the TMC in the House yesterday. The Bengal Congress is opposed to a Congress-TMC alliance in the state.
So far, alliance talks are not going as planned. A potential AAP-Congress alliance in Delhi and TMC-Congress alliance in Bengal have not happened. To top it all, the BSP-SP-Congress coalition in UP is not happening. There’s a long way to go for the UPA-3.
Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the Opposition would meet on February 26 or 27 to discuss the contours of the common minimum programme and a national-level pre-poll alliance. Later, the Congress announced the meeting of its working committee in Ahmedabad on February 26
The parallel announcements reflected lack of coordination in the Opposition camp
"Cong in MP, like BJP in past, has slapped NSA against Muslims for cow slaughter. Now, the UP BJP govt has booked 14 AMU students for sedition." — Mayawati, BSP chief
"If Cong doesn’t understand that it’s about defeating BJP, people will teach it a lesson. We need to field a candidate to ensure consolidation of anti-BJP vote." — Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM
"(Arvind) Kejriwal still wants an alliance with the Congress in Delhi and the ball is now in the Congress’ court."— Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM