Opposition unity a far cry, what worries BJP is worrisome!

Stock market expert Naveen Mishra was asked on social media forum Quora: Will Narendra Modi win in 2024, or who can?

He responded: I do not answer political questions but when I read this question I was in deep thought, I found myself in a polling booth thinking why I should not vote Modi Ji. Even if I have many reasons not to vote for him then the next question is, to whom should I vote? You also think about it, do we have better options than him?

“So as per my opinion definitely Shri Narendra Modi Ji will win the 2024 election,” he said.

For many, this is the predicament as of now as the symbols of challenge to Narendra Modi and BJP appear like flickers and then disappear faster than a small lightning in a distant horizon. I have this nagging fear that the opposition unity will remain a mere fiction than a real story.

First of all, there is no single leader capable of posing even an iota of threat to Modi’s leadership. Rahul Gandhi may be the leader of the grand old party, but there is hardly any consensus on his candidature. Mamata Bannerjee, KCR, Chandrababu Naidu and Stalin do not accept him and even Sharad Pawar does not give much credence to Rahul. Some opposition parties might have supported or just appreciated Rahul’s Bharat Jodo which passed off like any other event.

Rahul does not realise that forging an opposition alliance in the backdrop of the country dangerously heading for a single party rule demands collective thinking. All parties must come on a single platform, present their points of view and agree on a common minimum programme. There should be at least one leader who should be able to stand up and present that agenda. Pawar has his own limitations. Beyond Maharashtra, his voice does not command any weightage. In fact, that is the limitation of each regional leader – from Mamata to KCR to Stalin. TDP founder NTR could manage to bring many leaders such as DMR’s Karunanidhi on a single platform for a brief photo op. Naidu does not enjoy that capability thanks to his political blunders such as shaking hands with the Congress that too when the GOP was at its lowest popularity levels.

Let us for a minute accept that the past is past and that present realities demand altogether different political adjustments. But even then the lack of seriousness on part of Rahul discourages even a feeble attempt towards the formation of a joint front against Modi. Bharat Jodo was marred by anti-Savarkar comments by Rahul and even post the Surat court ruling, the Congress vice-president repeated the blunder. These remarks have dented Maha Vikas Aghadi’s credibility. While many in the Congress itself wondered as to why did Rahul open his mouth when it was not required, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray said the comments were unwarranted. Then we read statements that Rahul would respect the allies’ feelings. Respect for others is the first thing that one must learn in political adjustments. RaGa does not do his homework well. Either he has no advisors (one has not heard of any) or he does not listen to them.

Now, let us look at one of the biggest opportunities lost by the opposition to present their strong views. When the Government said they were ready for debate on the Adani issue, the Opposition should have waited for that opportunity and hammer the government. They could have said anything in a live telecast and got away with it. But no. Congress led the ruckus, sloganeering and of course the BJP too wanted to make fun of Rahul by repeatedly calling for an apology from him for what he said on the country’s democratic functioning or lack of it.

In any case, the opposition unity even on the Adani issue remained a short-loved one with Pawar dismissing the outcry for a joint parliamentary committee probe. Of course he went on to clarify that what he meant was that parliamentary committees that are formed on the basis of various party strengths in the House have little or no impact. He meant the BJP will have its way in a JPC. Hence, it would have been prudent to wait for the outcome of the case in Supreme Court. Now Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena too backed Pawar stand on the Adani issue, isolating the Congress.

As I have been saying time and again, many in the country fail to understand as to why the BJP gives so much importance to Rahul and the Congress. Even if all the non-BJP parties can come together for a walkout in Parliament, there is very little possibility of them walking together even till the media room or even the canteen, let alone fighting the election together. Even if one takes for granted that the inter-party contradictions would be dissolved for a while, the main issue of adjustments remains not one stumbling block, but a series of hurdles across all the 543 Lok Sabha seats. Except for Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh where the Congress is in power, the grand party will have to contend and will have to play a second or even a third fiddle in the remaining States. This is the situation as things stand today. Only a miracle can make the impossible appear like a possibility.

Hence the oft-repeated question: Why does the BJP take the Congress or its leadership so seriously? The ruling party has everything that it needs – unchallenged leadership, the cadre and all the resources. It is time the party and leadership realised the importance of good governance. It does not have to worry about 2014 generation elections at all.

Then why is the BJP leadership indulging in this deflective strategy of keeping its entire machinery busy to attack the Congress? To answer this question, one must look at many possible scenarios and questions.

Is the BJP leadership concerned over possible heart burning within its rank and file? Are there indications of any undercurrents that might impact Modi’s run for a hat-trick? Or is it seriously worried about the outcome of the Supreme Court panel on the Adani issue? Will the rosy picture of the economy, as painted by the BJP collective, turn out to be a whitewash? These are some of the questions that the political analysts must look at. What worries the BJP is certainly worrisome.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based media veteran now running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)