‘Federal Front’ formula tried, tested, and failed: Jaitley

New Delhi, June 5

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has dismissed the possibility of any federal front posing a challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying a vacuum in the opposition caused by the weakening of Congress cannot be filled by an alliance of regional parties.

"I think this is a great debate that has started that will now go on… who is the BJP’s opponent? It is clear that the opposition is fragmented. You have the so-called aspirations of a federal front is a tried, tested and failed idea. It has been tested in the past and it has failed every time it has come up," he said.

He was asked with the Congress being in power in only six states, of which five are small hill states, he wondered where the principal opposition was, although he added that there would be one eventually “because in politics there is never a vacuum, the alternate space will be occupied by somebody or the other".

Asked if he saw the call by JD (U) president Nitish Kumar for largest possible unity among non-BJP parties as a threat, Jaitley said, "I don't think it is a threat." — PTI