How Arvind Kejriwal's protest has 'cobbled up' an alternative mahagatbandhan for 2019 general elections
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s sit-in protest at lieutenant governor Anil Baijal’s residence has given us a peek into what a possible mahagatbandhan for the 2019 elections could look like.
Over the last four days, parties from across the country have expressed their solidarity with the Aam Aadmi Party and have hit out at the BJP for its attack on India’s democratic, federal foundation. On this issue, the two national parties, the Congress and the BJP have been isolated by an evolving coalition being forged by a young, fresh leadership of smaller parties.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was the first to tweet on June 14, demanding that the elected CM of Delhi must get his due respect. This was followed by the Left parties expressing their strong opposition to the L-G’s unconstitutional actions, with senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat joining a group of protesting AAP leaders at Raj Ghat yesterday.
. @ArvindKejriwal, CM of Delhi is sitting in a dharna in LG’s office for the last few days in the capital city of the country. Elected CM must get due respect. May I appeal to the Govt of India and @LtGovDelhi to resolve the problem immediately so that people do not suffer
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) June 13, 2018
CPI M leader Brinda Karat reaches Rajghat to extend her Support for Arvind Kejriwal 's demand pic.twitter.com/hIBnRiUByG
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 14, 2018
Sitaram Yechury tweeted lashing out at the Centre for obstructing the constitutional discharge of duties of the state government. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to the prime minister, urging his personal intervention to ensure the Delhi government’s work can proceed without hindrance.
Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha and rebel BJP MP Shatrugan Sinha have both attacked the prime minister for creating this unfortunate situation in the national capital.
The reaction of the Left parties and the TMC was not surprising, considering the strong personal equation Kejriwal enjoys with leaders of the two parties. The statement issued by Kamal Haasan in solidarity with the AAP is a sign that the Haasan-Kejriwal bonhomie seen at the launch of the Tamil Nadu politician’s new party recently was not a flash in the pan. Those tracking parliamentary proceedings have noticed the coordination between these parties on the floor of the House over the past few years.
What has stirred intrigue, however, is the vociferous and spirited support coming from the next generation of the erstwhile third front experiments — Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Jayant Chaudhary and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav. This is the first time these three parties, which are currently seen as some of the Congress’ biggest potential allies in the battle for 2019, have voiced their support for the AAP. In fact, Tejashwi Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary went beyond giving issue-based support and endorsed Kejriwal’s model of governance.
With such an outpouring of support from across the country, the Congress remains the only major non-NDA party to refrain from standing with the AAP against the BJP government’s high-handedness and undemocratic action. To his credit, Rahul Gandhi has maintained his silence on the matter, unlike Delhi Congress leader Ajay Maken. In the wake of a national consensus in favour of Kejriwal’s fight for Delhi’s democratic rights, Maken’s continued attacks on the AAP place the Congress’ Delhi unit, firmly in the BJP’s corner.
Succumbing to Maken’s blackmail and tantrums, Rahul Gandhi appears to have made a critical mistake in the run-up to the to the 2019 elections. Gandhi’s refusal to speak up for the legitimate rights of the people of Delhi has led to the shaping up of an alternate mahagatbandhan. The Congress’s failure to build bridges with a major anti-BJP party has jeopardised its aspiration to be the fulcrum for the united Opposition.
Regional players have signalled that they will not be toeing the Congress line when it comes to building the potential alliance. Non-Congress, non-NDA parties have come to realise that the AAP is too strong a force in the Punjab-Haryana-Delhi region to be made a pariah. The Congress’ closeted support to the BJP against Kejriwal is a reminder to regional leaders of the Congress’ demonstrated ability to collude with the BJP to ensure a two-party system wherever possible.
In an interview with NDTV this week, Tejashwi Yadav was asked who will be the prime minister if a United Opposition is to go past the half-way mark in 2019. The Bihar leader responded by saying that all parties which are potential allies in the mahagatbandhan have leaders capable of becoming prime minister. This was clearly a message to the Congress to not expect the leadership on a platter. After being reduced to its lowest ever Lok Sabha tally of 44 in 2014, the Congress is no more seen as the natural leader by regional parties.
If the Congress is sincere about leading a national coalition, it needs to show it has the maturity and foresight needed to build alliances. The Delhi crisis was an opportune moment for the party to demonstrate it has what it takes to build a consensus.
However, by siding with the BJP, it has only found itself isolated, surrounded by like-minded regional players who appear to be more ideologically committed to the idea of a BJP-free India than India’s grand old party.