Like it or hate it, the Opposition will gain strength if Congress gets the role of an axle

Each day, we hear about markets opening lower. Or, after flimsily pushed up so-called gains, these tanking in the late afternoon session. There could be reasons that the Government experts attribute it to more convincingly: The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Wholesale Price Index, inflation, the latest strain of COVID-19 or the recent violent conflagration in several Indian States on the occasions of Ram Navami and Hunuman Janmotsav, leading up to the razing of structures in Jahangirpuri. But ultimately, it all boils down to one thing: The State seems to be failing its citizens. Politicians are one thing: Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Asaduddin Owaisi, Akhilesh Yadav, KCR, Stalin and the ever-fiery Mamata Banerjee targeting the Centre for what they collectively call the BJP-led NDA Government’s ‘failure’ in handling the situation. It looks like the case of Nero merrily playing the flute, but we won’t say nothing about Rome! The interesting thing is that the Opposition, though seemingly united in its travails, its joint understanding of personal vendetta and grief, and generally repeated drubbing at the hustings, is not actually standing united.

Didi says the Congress has had its chance, so it’s better for all the satraps to stand up together rather than waiting for the ‘queen bee’ to issue orders on how things should or should not be done. Then stands up Sharad Pawar and, maybe rightly, points out that there’s no future for the case of an Opposition coalition in India unless the Congress is part of it. This is where enters master strategist Prashant Kishor, who dons the old hats of several political parties and is on record to have delivered most of his promises. Buoyed by his confidence, which is like the much-needed ‘external’ COVID booster shot rather than the ‘self-built immunity’ that any body needs to overcome setbacks, the Congress seems to be happily considering inviting him into the cosy fold. However, as they say, there’s many a slip t’wixt the ‘chup’ and the ‘yip’! Suddenly, the Congress — rather than getting more cohesive on account of a ‘thinking’ force joining them together — is now talking strange. Dear old hand Digvijaya Singh has been reported as saying that “there are differences” over PK’s entry into the Congress. And then there’s the entire G-23 list; there’s no way of knowing which way a camel will turn!