After Maharashtra coup, Opposition unity is in limbo

Following the Ajit Pawar coup in Maharashtra and the subsequent withdrawal of the Congress and JD(S) from the opposition, the 16 political parties, originally slated to hold their second meeting in Bengaluru on July 13 and July 14, have decided to postpone the gathering until the monsoon session in Parliament. This delay clearly highlights the uncertain status of the much-discussed unity among the opposition parties prior to the Lok Sabha polls.

Hyderabad: Immediately after the Ajit Pawar coup in Maharashtra and the decision of Congress and JD(S) to stay away from the opposition, the 16 political parties which were scheduled have to its second meeting in Bengaluru on July 13 and July 14, has decided to postpone it till the monsoon session in Parliament is over making it obvious the muck talked unity of the opposition unity before the Lok Sabha polls are in limbo.

Confirming the postponement, K C Tyagi, the chief spokesperson of the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], stated that the next meeting of opposition parties would likely be held after the monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to commence on July 20 and conclude on August 20. Several reasons contributed to the decision to delay the Bengaluru meeting. The Bihar legislature's monsoon session, scheduled from July 10 to 14, and the budget-cum-monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly, slated from July 3 to 14, made it inconvenient to proceed with the meeting as initially planned.

Earlier, the opposition parties in Bihar, namely the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the JD(U), had previously urged the Congress leadership to postpone the Bengaluru meeting to accommodate the busy schedules of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav during the monsoon session of the state legislature. Additionally, the Karnataka Congress, which was supposed to host the meeting, also requested the central leadership of the Congress to reschedule the gathering in consideration of the monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly.

One of the key factors influencing the decision was the surprising oath-taking of Ajit Pawar, a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. This move appeared to defy his uncle and party supremo, Sharad Pawar, as he aligned himself with the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra.

Interestingly enough the decision to postpone the meeting comes after Rahul Gandhi criticised Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is closely aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and he accuses the TRS of being subservient to the BJP. The Congress leader also made it clear that Congress cannot be a part of the opposition bloc if Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is a part of it.

Not only that, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) - HD Kumaraswamy also made it clear that his party would not be attending the opposition parties' meeting in Bengaluru. Kumaraswamy stated that JD(S) had not received an invitation to participate in the event. During his interaction with reporters, the JD(S) leader also raised concerns about the collection of YST tax in Karnataka, likening it to the nationwide collection of GST, alleging similar practices in both cases.

The first opposition meet held in Patna on June 23 did not yield the desired outcomes for the Opposition as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took the opportunity to demand support from the Congress regarding the Delhi control of services ordinance. In response, the Congress emphasized its refusal to be coerced into making a decision under duress. The discord between the AAP and Congress at the Patna meeting highlighted the challenges faced by the Opposition in presenting a unified front against the ruling party.

Subsequently, the Opposition parties planned to convene in Bengaluru on July 13-14, aiming to address pertinent issues and devise effective strategies for the upcoming parliamentary session. However, due to Sharad Pawar's responsibility of keeping the NCP intact in Maharashtra and his stature as a senior leader within the opposition camp, it is likely that the meeting has been postponed to a later date.