Sharad Pawar said opposition needed to band together around a common agenda.
A united opposition front to challenge the BJP will only be possible if it has clarity on issues and a common programme and direction for the parties to work together, veteran Maharashtra politician Sharad Pawar, one of the tallest opposition leaders, said on Friday.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, who is seen as a key figure in bringing together various opposition parties against the BJP, said that opposition parties will have to bridge their ideologies and ways of thinking.
"Opposition unity is very important, but there should be clarity on issues. Today, opposition parties have different ideologies and ways of thinking. People like us, we want opposition unity, but our thrust is on development," Mr Pawar said.
"We have other people who want opposition unity, but this Leftist thinking in their minds they do not want to move away from it. Opposition unity will only work with a specific programme and a direction, if this is not there, any opposition unity will not be beneficial for the country," he added.
Mr Pawar appeared to prescribe a Common Minimum Programme - a manifesto that outlined the common grounds for ideologically disparate parties to come together - not unlike the one he helped craft after the Maharashtra elections in 2019, which allowed the Congress and the NCP to team up with long-time rival Shiv Sena.
Asked about the Congress's hopes of being the helmsman of the united opposition front despite back-to-back electoral debacles, Mr Pawar said even though some opposition parties wanted to cut out the Congress, the grand old party remained important.
"There is a lot of difference between the Congress party of now and the Congress party of earlier. But you cannot ignore the Congress. The Congress is present in many states of the country. Some of our colleagues feel there is a need to get non-Congress parties together," he said.
"I feel much more important is - why is opposition unity needed? What is the programme and roadmap, if there is clarity on this, a way forward will emerge. This will benefit the country, but we have to accept we are not there yet," Mr Pawar said.
The comments came amid reports of the Congress making yet another attempt at consolidating the splintered opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, proposing a meeting of like-minded party leaders in the run-up to next year's national elections.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has reached out to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK Chief MK Stalin over the phone and invited him to join the proposed meeting, sources told NDTV. The DMK, which is a key ally of the Congress in Tamil Nadu and at the national level, has extended its support to the Congress's plan for an opposition meeting.