Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s interaction with Opposition Chief Ministers, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday can be a turning point in the party’s alliance strategy ahead of next year’s Assembly polls in Bengal and Kerala.
Though the meeting was specifically convened to forge a common stand on holding NEET-JEE in September and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), it could set the stage for new political equations in the States.
The Congress chief’s outreach to Ms Banerjee may also act as a signal to 23 dissenting leaders who, in their letter, had pitched for leaders of Congress off-shoots coming on one platform to take on the Narendra Modi government.
“I agree that we must work together and fight together,” Ms. Gandhi said in response to the Ms. Banerjee, who said that the Opposition parties “must raise issues in one voice or else, there will no other political party left and only one party will rule”.
Chowdhury’s stand
In Bengal, senior Congress leaders like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury are keen to join hands with the CPI(M) and other Left parties to take on the Mamata Banerjee government while the Congress is the main challenger to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI(M) government in Kerala.
“Mamata Banerjee may be wanting to seek help from Sonia ji as she is losing ground to the BJP in Bengal and wants to consolidate the anti-BJP and ‘secular’ votes. She appealed to the CPI(M) and Congress voters to support her as she is keen to avoid a triangular contest,” Mr. Chowdhury told The Hindu on Thursday, reiterating his opposition to the State government.
“The reality is that everyday we are facing the onslaught of Trinamool cadres on the ground,” he said the.
However, relations between the Congress and the Left are frosty in Kerala. After the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) unsuccessfully moved a no-confidence motion against government over the gold smuggling case, the virtual meet of Opposition Chief Ministers left out Mr. Vijayan.
In the past, Congress leaders had attended meetings on ‘fiscal federalism’ hosted by Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac.
CPI General Secretary D Raja said, “On common issues, secular democratic parties, including the Trinamool and the Congress have been together nationally. But if specific political meanings are derived from yesterday’s meet, then one has to wait and see the political implications”.
