Oppn divisions come to the fore: In letter to PM Modi, Congress, DMK, Left missing

According to sources, the AAP and the BRS were the driving force behind the letter.

Given that Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary and senior leader Sandeep Dikshit welcomed Sisodia’s arrest last Sunday and the Congress high command issued a statement criticising the central agencies for “harassment” and did not mention any names, it was not a surprise to not see a Congress name on the letter to the PM.

9 Opposition Leaders including CM @ArvindKejriwal write to PM Modi‼️

“@msisodia‘s arrest will be cited worldwide as an example of a political witch-hunt & further confirm what the world was only suspecting- India’s democratic values stand threatened under an authoritarian BJP” pic.twitter.com/3ELL5N88UJ

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 5, 2023

The Congress and the TMC also have strained ties. It has worsened following the Mamata Banerjee-led party’s recent bypoll loss in Sagardighi to the grand old party and the row over the arrest of state Congress spokesperson Koustav Bagchi over remarks against the West Bengal CM. Congress leaders in the state and Delhi have frequently targeted Banerjee, holding her “singularly responsible” for the rise of the BJP in West Bengal. The Congress has said it cannot deal with parties intent upon weakening it, but the TMC has pointed out that while it defeated the BJP in West Bengal in 2021, the Congress and the Left had banded together against it.

The TMC till last year projected itself as a catalyst for a united Opposition alliance against the BJP nationally but following electoral losses in Goa and the Northeast, its national ambitions have got deflated. This was reflected in Mamata Banerjee’s statement following the losses in Tripura and Meghalaya that the TMC would go it alone in the 2024 elections.

The BRS and the Congress also do not get along and have locked horns multiple times. Last October, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on the sidelines of the Bharat Jodo Yatra ruled out any tie-up with the KCR-led party and dismissed its national ambitions. “If the Telangana CM believes that he is running a national party, let him do so,” Gandhi said at a press conference. “If he believes he is running a global party, that is also fine. He is welcome to imagine that he is running an international party, which may contest elections in the US or China or other countries, we are happy to accept it. We have no problem wherever the BRS wants to contest. We have no problem if the BRS is talking to (JD-U chief) Nitish Kumar. We cannot stand with the corruption, the approach and the attitude of the BRS.”

In December, the Hyderabad police raided the Telangana Congress’s “war room” and arrested three people for allegedly posting derogatory comments about KCR. This led the Congress to accuse the Telangana CM of throttling democracy in the state.

At the Raipur plenary last month, the Congress expressed its willingness to work with “like-minded parties” and forge a “viable alternative” to take on the BJP but in the same breath, it spoke of the UPA model where the Congress led the alliance. In a message to parties keen on forming a non-Congress grouping, the party said the emergence of any third force would provide an advantage to BJP.

Days before that, in strong remarks aimed at some of the Opposition parties, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said, “The Congress is the only political party that has not compromised with the BJP. Many Opposition parties sit in meetings called by (Mallikarjun) Kharge but their actions later are in favour of the ruling party. We are not two-faced. We have only one face…”

At a rally in Chennai last week, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin also echoed the Congress’s stance and rejected the idea of a third front. The TMC, the BRS, and the Left did not attend the event. “All regional parties should think of national politics too. I am telling all parties, including the Congress, that unity is the secret to winning elections,” Stalin said. “Arguments surrounding a third front also should be ignored. Alliance plans for post-elections also will not help defeat the BJP. Parties should rise above differences and stand together as a unified force to defeat BJP. Talks of a third front are pointless.”

Replying to a question on the Congress’ absence in the letter, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said at a press conference: “If you look at the history, you will find the Congress has never stood by the Opposition. Whenever it comes to raising voice on national issues, the Congress goes missing. They have gone missing today as well.”

He added: “The entire world knows that Sisosdia has been arrested. Congress, which considers itself the big brother and says it will lead if any opposition alliance is formed, should have reached out to the opposition parties. Where is the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi?”