SP-BSP snub worries Oppn veterans, to meet on Feb 27

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 22

With the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party decisively moving away from the united Opposition block yesterday, the anti-BJP camp is bracing for new challenges in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

The timing of the SP-BSP’s seat-sharing announcement could not have been worse for the Opposition camp, which is currently in the process of drafting the proposed common minimum programme (CMP) to take on the incumbent BJP.

The Opposition meeting, earlier fixed for February 26, will now be held on February 27 in Delhi. Around 20 “like-minded” parties have been invited, including BSP and SP.

The fact that BSP chief Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav snubbed all overtures to join the larger anti-BJP coalition is weighing heavily on the minds of Opposition veterans. Many in the non-Congress Opposition grouping privately feel the Congress should have done more than it is doing to show accommodation of other outfits.

“The Congress is not coming across as accommodating. It needs to work more in the spirit of give and take than it is presently working. We saw what happened in the state elections of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. A potential Congress alliance with BSP and SP broke down at that time because the Congress was unwilling to cede seats beyond a certain threshold. Now in UP, BSP and SP have announced a unilateral alliance keeping the Congress out.

“In Delhi, AAP wants to ally with the Congress but the latter is not forthcoming. Being the principal Opposition party, the Congress would have to do more than the others to stitch workable anti-BJP coalitions in states,” a senior Opposition leader told The Tribune today.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has already spoken aloud on how AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal wants a pact with the Congress in Delhi and the ball is in Congress’ court. In Bengal, there is already talk of a potential Congress-Left alliance at a time when the TMC is seen to be stronger and in a better position than any other party to defeat a BJP candidate.

In Maharashtra, even days after BJP and Shiv Sena made up and announced a Lok Sabha deal, the Congress and NCP are still negotiating the space for smaller parties with discussions believed to be stuck on who will give up how much share to accommodate junior allies.

Most Opposition titans agree that the failure to form a grand alliance of SP-BSP and Congress in UP is by far the biggest setback to the plans of forging a national anti-BJP front.