Nitish Kumar's outburst against the Congress will do more damage to the INDIA alliance than the BJP can. Speaking at a CPI rally in Bihar, Nitish Kumar taunted the Congress about being busier in assembly elections than focusing on the INDIA alliance and causing the opposition bloc to lose momentum. He might have valid reasons to vent his frustration, he might be angry with the Congress but instead of openly castigating the party, he should have picked up the phone and called Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and registered his complaint. Instead, he preferred a public spat.
Nitish Kumar is a very seasoned politician. He is not an immature upstart who does not know that him speaking in public will make a spectacle and embarrass the entire opposition. In this context, his statement cannot be taken lightly. This shows the inner friction within the opposition and also underlines that all is not well in the opposition camp.
Coalition politics, in its nature, is full of contradictions. The coming together of different parties with different ideologies and understanding is not an easy task, especially in the Indian context, which is semi-feudal but extremely competitive and characterised by big egos. In coalition politics, accusations, allegations, contradictory statements, walk outs, temperamental behaviour and one-upmanship is a given thing. Till the last vote is polled, coalition partners might attack each other. Ego clashes over petty things that can lead to separation - is not unexpected. Therefore, I am not surprised by Nitish Kumar's taunt. What surprised me is his accusation that the Congress is ignoring the INDIA alliance because it is participating in assembly elections.
Being a senior leader, an eternal maverick, he probably knows better than any one that for any political party elections are paramount, i.e., the summit of any political formation. The Congress is at the moment contesting in five states. And in all these states the Congress is the principal player and theoretically, it has a good chance to win and form governments in all five - MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. If in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress is fighting against the BJP, then in Telangana it has a very good chance of upstaging the KCR-led BRS. Even in Mizoram, the Congress is the main opposition party with more than 30% vote share. Nitish Kumar expects the impossible - that the Congress should leave the election and work for opposition unity for 2024 parliamentary elections.
Let me ask Nitish Kumar a question. If he was facing a similar situation what would he have done? Would he have tried to sidetrack elections and worked for opposition unity or would he have participated in the elections. I know the answer.
Nitish is probably forgetting that these elections are not only important for the Congress but also for the INDIA alliance. Congress is the fulcrum of the opposition unity and no fight vis-a-vis the BJP led by Modi, can be fought and won without the Congress. The INDIA alliance will lose all the momentum that it has created in the last six months if the Congress loses all five. But if the Congress wins even three states, it will not only strengthen the Congress in the eyes of the public but also help INDIA alliance get more political muscle power. A strong Congress is the need of the hour for the opposition in its bigger fight with Modi. If they really believe that under the BJP regime, democracy and the Constitution are threatened then a strong Congress will help INDIA defeat BJP in its pursuit for power at the centre. There is no doubt that it is the Congress which has to defeat the BJP in many states. In states like MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka and Goa, the Congress is in direct fight with the BJP. A weak Congress can't defeat BJP in these states. And if the Congress repeats its performance of 2014 and 2019, then the INDIA alliance has no future and can only dream about ousting Modi. That is why it is in the interest of INDIA to help the Congress to win, than to damage by its acts and utterances and it is also true for the Congress.
The problem with Nitish Kumar is quintessential and that is the problem of all regional leaders. It's not their fault. They are so glued to their own regions that in the long run they tend to lose the national picture. There is another dimension too. Regional leaders and parties always feel insecure and threatened by the presence of national parties like the BJP and the Congress, which have an all-India footprint. The Congress and the BJP can afford to lose a state election but regional parties can't as they don't have other states like the national parties. Therefore, they will always be more possessive of their states. The reaction of Akhilesh Yadav when he was trying to bargain hard for seats in MP can be seen in this context. The Samajwadi Party has a very strong presence in UP, but if it wants seats outside UP on its own strength then it should introspect if it is strengthening the opposition alliance partner, that is the Congress.
Let me ask Nitish Kumar one more question. Does he think that it is only the responsibility of the Congress to plan, organise, strategise, and take the alliance forward? Has the Congress been given that responsibility? I don't think so. INDIA has a coordination committee, of which Congress is a member like other parties. Why are other members of the committee not taking the initiative? What has the committee done till now? Did it make any move? Did it hold any meeting of the INDIA alliance? I believe none. If the committee had initiated any move and was not supported by the Congress then Nitish Kumar and others were well within their right to accuse the Congress.
Let me also ask what have Nitish, Sharad Pawar, Mamata, Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejasvi Yadav, Sita Ram Yechuri, Kejriwal and others done for INDIA in the last few months? Did they even assemble informally over a cup of tea to brainstorm about what is to be done to defeat Modi? Do these leaders organise opposition rallies in states where they are strong?
In the end, if everything hinges on the Congress, then will Nitish allow the Congress to take the leadership role and should its leader be projected as the PM face of the INDIA alliance, and if that happens then will Nitish withdraw his claim to the top job? Nitish Kumar will definitely not do that even if he has been saying that he is not in the race. He showed his annoyance when in Mumbai he was not chosen as the convener of the Alliance.
Nitish Kumar is a big leader and has the ability to lead the opposition alliance. He can be an asset provided he tries to look at the big picture. And the big picture is that if the opposition is not united and squabbles amongst itself for petty gains then, the opposition has no future. He should take a deep breath and think whom has he helped by accusing the Congress publicly.
(Ashutosh is author of 'Hindu Rashtra' and Editor, satyahindi.com.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.