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Journalism of Courage
IN THE balancing of its many contradictory interests, INDIA alliance seems to have hit teething troubles. And it is not just about the obvious contradictions in states like West Bengal, Punjab, Delhi and Kerala and the problems expected in seat-sharing among parties at a later stage.
There is disquiet among a section of the parties over the way some of the decisions have been taken lately.
First, JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who took the initial lead in the INDIA front but has since lost the prime slot, publicly differed over the decision to announce a boycott of 14 television anchors. Now, the CPI(M), one of the Congress’s closest partners at the central level, has decided not to nominate a member to the 14-member coordination and election strategy committee of the bloc.
Within the Congress too, not all is rosy, as witnessed at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) over the weekend in Hyderabad. Leaders from Delhi and Punjab persisted with their concerns over possible seat-sharing arrangement with the Aam Aadmi Party.
Adding to all that is the unease among many of the constituents – especially from the Hindi heartland – over the Sanatan Dharma controversy, especially with the DMK ignoring appeals and not backing down. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi rallying his troops, the BJP has rolled up its sleeves and mounted a united offensive on the matter.
A joint INDIA meeting planned for October first week in Bhopal was cancelled, apparently because Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath — who is running a campaign with strong Hindutva leanings — was wary about sharing the stage with the DMK.
In the atmosphere of tension, lingering suspicions are gaining ground. Some of the smaller parties in the INDIA alliance are apprehensive now of a jugalbandi between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, forcing their hands. This misgiving first gained ground after the two parties came up with the name ‘INDIA’ for the alliance at Bengaluru, after late-night talks that blindsided most of the other parties.
At the press conference held later, the JD(U) and RJD were conspicuously absent. A sulking Nitish, who was the star of the first meeting of the Opposition grouping held in Patna, was said to have deliberately made himself scarce.
In the latest instance, two decisions of the coordination committee are said to have upset the alliance partners – one being to hold the first joint INDIA public meeting in Bhopal in the first week of October, and second, to blacklist 14 anchors.
Incidentally, while the INDIA coordination committee meeting that approved the decision to boycott anchors was attended by JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, Nitish claimed he had no idea about it two days later. Nitish also called himself a votary of freedom of the press.
After a meeting over the weekend where it discussed INDIA formation, the CPI(M) Politburo talked about making focused efforts to further expand the bloc and draw in people’s movements, before making the interesting observation – “while all decisions will be taken by the leaders of the constituents, there should be no organisational structures that will be an impediment for such decisions”.
One senior leader said: “Decisions are taken by the leaders at the highest level… That is where things get done… The coordination committee should not become an impediment… It decided that the first meeting will be held in Bhopal. That then gets shot down by Kamal Nath… They also announced something like a boycott of anchors… without consulting all the parties… Ultimately, it is the whole alliance that gets defamed… you look like an incoherent lot.”
The biggest thorn on the CPI(M)’s side remains the Trinamool Congress, as it believes it is “absolutely impossible” for the party to have an electoral tie-up with the party in Bengal. In Kerala, its main rival is the Congress.
Cognizant of these tensions, many leaders in the Congress have advocated that seat-sharing talks be delayed till at least the completion of the Assembly elections in five states. However, some of the other parties are pushing for an early deadline.
For the record, almost all the INDIA parties rubbish and downplay talk of tension, while acknowledging that there will be challenges in any large coalition. “We are not photocopies of each other. We are different parties with different ideologies and views. So there will be different perspectives on some issues. Don’t view those as differences or say we are falling apart… everything is fine and under control,” one leader said.
“There are no differences. We all met this morning to discuss the floor strategy for Parliament,” one leader said. “We all spoke in unison at the all-party meeting Sunday against the secrecy shown by the government over the agenda for the special session,” another leader said.
Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal said: “The government’s tactic of not disclosing the full agenda even on the day the session starts is an extremely dangerous step for our democracy.”
However, if the government tables the women’s reservation Bill, it could open up new fissures in the INDIA, as the Samajwadi Party and RJD support quota within the quota for OBCs and minorities. Others are in favour of passage of the legislation without any such provision as there is no reservation for OBCs in the Lok Sabha or state Assemblies.
