The gloves are off for the battle of 2024. While NDA has the charisma of Narendra Modi to bank upon, the Opposition is still indecisive
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day has set the tone for the election season that commences later this year and culminates with the Lok Sabha polls in April-May 2024. It is going to be a tough fight between the ruling BJP and the Congress-led Opposition parties as the country is gearing up for the mother of all battles. The Prime minister fired the first salvo by declaring that he would hoist the national tricolour from the Red Fort on 15th August 2024.
What is the ground reality? The opposition stands divided and is taking pot shots at each other on all available opportunities. The question that disturbs Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress and M K Stalin of the DMK is who would be the Prime Ministerial candidate of the opposition front. All regional parties in the country should learn the truth that Congress is the only political entity that has a pan-India presence. One may be pardoned for speaking an unpalatable truth. There are no leaders who have an all-India outlook other than Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra. They are household names across the country and are capable of getting elected from States of their choice. No other leaders enjoy this kind of camaraderie with people.
Mamta Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Stalin may be influential in their home turfs. They should accept the reality that they do not enjoy the kind of love and affection enjoyed by the Gandhi household. The Opposition should not forget the spirit of 2004. When the chips were down and all were forecasting that the NDA would score an impressive win in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, Sonia Gandhi stepped in and that became the game changer in national politics. Gandhi went the extra mile and shook hands with minions like Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, A B Bardhan and even M Karunanidhi. It produced unbelievable results. The UPA led by Sonia Gandhi swept the election and Manmohan Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister. The same story was repeated in 2009.
The Opposition should accept the ground reality and give elbow space to Sonia Gandhi because she is the lone person in their camp who is capable of producing a pleasant surprise like the magician pulling out “live” rabbits from an empty hat. Rahul Gandhi, with his Bharat Jodo walkathon, has set the tone for the Congress to stage a comeback. For those who scoff at the idea of Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister should bear in mind that this is the country that elevated H D Deve Gowda as Prime Minister. Rahul Gandhi is held in high esteem by people in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The Congress victory in Karnataka is mainly due to the charisma of Rahul Gandhi who has a “cool customer” aura around him.
Since the defeat of the Congress in 2014, Rahul Gandhi has been touring the length and breadth of the country and has established himself as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate. Are there any leaders in Congress and the Opposition who can match him in style and substance? If the Opposition is serious about secularism, pluralism, tolerance and diversity, it should accept Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate so that the nation can watch a battle royale in the coming months. For that to happen, Sonia Gandhi should take the initiative and revive and renew old friendships. There is no more time to lose discussing the nitty-gritty of ground-level politics. Secularism should be the catchword for 2024.
(The writer is a special correspondent with the Pioneer. Views expressed are personal)