TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement expressing her willingness to lead the INDIA bloc if given a chance reflects the churn in the Opposition alliance, set off by the debacles faced by the Congress and some allies in the Haryana and Maharashtra polls. Several INDIA leaders have backed Mamata’s bid to steer the bloc. The Urdu dailies tracked the shifting sands in Opposition politics closely over the week. Besides focusing on the flare-up in the farm stir, the dailies also kept the spotlight on the developments over multiple suits filed in several courts in different places claiming Hindu rights over various Muslim mosques or sites. SIASAT Commenting on the rumblings in the INDIA bloc, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its leader on December 8, points out that unease seems to be growing in the Opposition alliance which was formed to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. The grouping could not clinch the Lok Sabha polls but managed to stall the BJP well below the simple majority mark. However, the editorial says, the Congress’s shock defeat in the Haryana Assembly elections followed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)’s rout in the Maharashtra polls have dampened the INDIA parties' morale. Although the Congress has blamed alleged electoral malpractices for these disasters, its leaders and workers are disappointed and worried, which has also led to the INDIA parties working at cross-purposes, the edit says. In Maharashtra, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has walked out of the MVA after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's close aide Milind Narwekar posted an image on X hailing the demolition of Babri Masjid, the daily notes. “The SP is aware of the significance of the Muslim vote in UP and does not want to lose it. The party achieved success in the Lok Sabha polls in UP because of the backing of Muslims among other communities,“ it says. “Babri Masjid still has resonance among the minority community even though the row has been legally resolved in the wake of the Supreme Court’s judgment and the construction of Ram Temple at its site in Ayodhya.” While the SP’s move has not affected the INDIA bloc at the national level so far, it has fuelled disquiet in the Opposition camp, the editorial says. This is being seen in Delhi too, where AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is set to go solo without having any seat-sharing pact with the Congress in the upcoming Assembly polls. The issue of the INDIA bloc’s leadership, which is virtually with the Congress, has now also surfaced after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s open pitch for it to ensure its smooth functioning. “Although other INDIA parties have not taken a clear stand on this issue so far, it is evident that several of them are deeply concerned over the future of the alliance. It is imperative that they should get into a huddle and discuss the situation,” the edit says. “They should deliberate on how to turn their defeats into successes. They must work out an effective action plan to fight the BJP. If it is not possible under the current leadership, they should replace it with a suitable alternative. The essential thing is that they must remain united if they want to take on the BJP. Unity is in their self-interest, even as it is also their political compulsion to remain afloat.” INQUILAB With BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis taking oath of office as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP president Ajit Pawar sworn in as the Deputy CMs, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its December 8 editorial, notes that despite registering a resounding win to storm back to power, the BJP-led Mahayuti took 12 days to form its government. This indicated “pulls and pressures” within the ruling coalition, with ex-CM Shinde remaining upset until the eleventh hour after being denied the CM’s post by the BJP. “The episode also betrayed the BJP’s coalition compulsion as given its tally the party is within striking distance of mustering a majority on its own, but it could not have moved ahead unilaterally to form the government,” the editorial says. Ajit, who was the first to pledge support to the Fadnavis-led government, has been sitting pretty though, the daily says. “It is to be seen how the Mahayuti government functions. The BJP had earlier faced allegations of causing splits in both the Sena and the NCP.” The editorial says this will also be closely watched as to how Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar lead their respective parties, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP(SP), now. Uddhav and Pawar have their task cut out after the drubbing their parties got in the Assembly polls, although Shinde and Ajit also face stiff challenges, the edit states. “The foremost expectation from the new Fadnavis regime, which is another ‘double-engine government’ is that it give priority to ensuring communal harmony in the state. Despite claiming accomplishments on the development front, the BJP banked on divisive slogans like ‘katenge toh batenge’ in its campaign. With polls now out of the way, the party should turn over a new leaf,” the daily says. Besides several ongoing infrastructure projects, which should be completed on time, the Mahayuti needs to enhance the monthly financial assistance for underprivileged women under the Ladki Bahin Yojana as per its poll pledge. “Maharashtra has been beset with the problems of unemployment and price rise, although it has always been known as a leading state in creating jobs. The new government must take measures to address these burning issues,” the edit adds. URDU TIMES Referring to the resurgence of farmers’ “Delhi Chalo” protest over their demands, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its December 7 editorial, points out that the demands of the agitating farmers have been the same for the past several years. The members of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) have been agitating at Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border for over 300 days, demanding legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops and a loan waiver among others. The editorial points out that the protesting farmers have been forced to march to Delhi as the Centre has not reached out to them and addressed their demands. “Haryana police cracked down on the farm protesters to stop them from entering the state en route to Delhi. Although in order to dial down tension the farmers decided to march to the national capital on foot, but the administration has not accepted even this,” it says. The daily points out that the farm row has been raging since 2020, when farmers launched their year-long agitation against the Centre’s three contentious agricultural laws. Although the Narendra Modi government was eventually forced to repeal these three laws, it has still not met their demand for ensuring a statutory basis for the MSP, it says, adding that the government’s promise to double the farmers’ income has not been fulfilled yet. “India is still a rural country. Farmers are the nation’s anna daata, but their plight remains abysmal,” the edit says. A measure of the distress in the agriculture sector could be gauged from the point that over 11,000 farmers and agricultural labourers died by suicide in 2022 alone, it adds.
