Together

Together

Satraps are trying to dislodge the BJP but where is the glue to hold them together?

The song ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ would possibly reverberate across the country if the efforts of three non-Congress and non-BJP Chief Ministers bear fruit and lead to the formation of a Third Front to take on the ‘Hindutva’ party in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Mamata Banerjee, K Chandrasekhar Rao and MK Stalin, the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, respectively, are on a mission to constitute a viable alternative for the people in time for the next Lok Sabha election. The three States contribute 98 out of the 543 total seats in the Lok Sabha and hence their bonding is a must for these leaders to reach the magic figure of 272. KCR was in Mumbai the other day, courting Maharashtra strongman Uddhav Thackeray and requesting him to join the proposed Third Front. Assuming that the three leaders succeed in forging a ‘rainbow alliance’ to take on the communalists, there are some questions that remain unanswered. Who will be the prime ministerial candidate? The voters have the right to know who would be the chief executive of the country, lest they would be left with the ignominy of watching persons like Deva Gowda and IK Gujral addressing the countrymen.

While there is no doubt about the competence and leadership qualities of Mamata, whose popularity is on an upward swing even in the southern State of Kerala, the same cannot be said about KCR and Stalin. Mamata fought her way to the top through hard work and intelligence. Stalin is in the present position only because he happens to be the son of late M Karunanidhi, the founder leader of the DMK and the five-time CM of Tamil Nadu. The silence of these leaders about the role of the Congress is baffling. BJP’s veteran leader LK Advani had said in 1996 that it would be impossible for any political grouping to form a Government without the Congress or the BJP. The same holds true even now because Congress is the only party with a pan-India presence and acceptability. Memories of 2004 offer a ray of hope. It was Sonia Gandhi who took the initiative and walked that extra mile to forge the UPA bandwagon which won the election much to the shock of pollsters who had forecast a cakewalk victory for the ‘Shining India’ party. Sonia is capable of repeating the feat. The nation awaits its future.