KOLKATA: Senior Congress leaders while welcoming Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's initiative inviting all opposition parties to unite against the BJP, indicated the grand old party will however have to play the role of the "central pole" of any future national opposition grouping.
The Congress leaders also felt "little differences" between the 137-year-old party and other opposition parties should be kept aside as non-BJP leaders attempt to unite to defeat "a fundamental force" like the BJP.
Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, told PTI, "This (opposition unity) has been Congress' stated position. The Congress president and the working committee have repeatedly stressed this. In the past the Congress has taken the initiative to bring all on one platform."
Sharma went on to stress, "The thing is that when we talk in the national context, Congress will remain in the central pole of opposition." The former commerce minister added, "We have to work together (for opposition unity) with all sincerity."
Though Congress' party was trounced in the general elections by the BJP, its vote share during the 2019 election stood at 19.55 per cent far higher than regional rivals none of whom managed to garner even 5 per cent of the nationwide vote.
This vote had actually marginally risen from 19.31 per cent of total votes in 2014. The Congress is in power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while in Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra they are in a coalition government.
Several opposition leaders including NCP leader Supriya Sule have on occasion on or off record have talked of the need for Congress to play a role in forging opposition unity.
On March 27, Banerjee wrote to all non-BJP chief ministers and opposition parties, including the Congress from which, her party had organized defections in two states recently, calling on all "progressive forces" to come together and put up a united fight against the "oppressive BJP regime".
The West Bengal chief minister has called for a meeting to discuss strategies to take on the saffron party and also commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition that will make way for the "government that the country deserves".
Banerjee of course had famously said last year "What UPA?" referring to the opposition coalition led by Congress.
However analysts say that by reaching out to Congress in a departure from her previous attempt at opposition unity when she had cold shouldered the grand old party, the feisty leader from Bengal is also that Congress has an important role to play in an united opposition.
Congress leader Manish Tewari told PTI, " It's (Banerjee's letter calling for opposition unity) is a splendid initiative. Though I have not seen the letter, I would say that it's a welcome one. There is a need for all progressive nationalist and secular forces to come together and fight the forces of theocracy, fundamentalism."
Banerjee's initiative was also lauded by Congress leader and noted legal luminary Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who described the TMC boss, as "one of the main pillars of that opposition" which should unite to prevent vote division, state by state for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"Non-BJP opposition is the need of the hour. Mamta Banerjee is certainly one of the pillars of that opposition. Each element of that opposition has to unite to prevent vote division, state by state, for 2024 Parliamentary elections," Singhvi told PTI.
When asked about Banerjee's past criticism of the Congress, Tiwari said such little differences should be put behind when there is a larger challenge to "save the country". "It's the larger battle which needs to be kept in mind and as long as we are focussed on the larger challenges faced by the country and we are willing to put our little differences behind, I think we will make a difference to this initiative," Tiwari said.
Reasoning that any opposition "disunity and vote division" would allow the BJP to win, Singhvi opined that big leaders like Banerjee have to take every form of initiative to unite the non-BJP parties.
"...Opposition disunity and vote division allows BJP to win (despite) its best performances never exceeding 39-40 per cent of the popular vote. Hence Mamta Banerjee and other opposition stalwarts like her have to strain every sinew to unite the non BJP space," Singhvi said.