Mindgames behind Mamata fracture in Opposition unity
With the Trinamool Congress staying away from an opposition meeting called by the Congress ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, the fracture in the anti-BJP unity appears beyond healing. Ironically, the person who sought to become the fulcrum of opposition consolidation earlier this year is creating fissures in its unity now. Mamata Banerjee had in June claimed her primary objective was opposition integration and was ambiguous about being the prime ministerial face in the 2024 elections.
She was speaking from a position of strength as she had comprehensively trounced the BJP in the West Bengal polls, won a third consecutive term as chief minister and earned bragging rights to become the natural challenger to PM Narendra Modi’s rule. Anti-BJP forces fretting at the lack of killer instinct in the Congress saw promise in her brand of politics that bundles welfare measures with street-fighting qualities and fiery rhetoric. But the fly in the ointment was her restricted sphere of influence as against the pan-India Congress footprint. So Mamata bought into the idea of quickly building her own national base by poaching, furthering the BJP’s pursuit of a Congress-mukt Bharat.
The latest shock to the grand old party came from Meghalaya where 12 of its 17 legislators defected to the Trinamool. The desertions were induced just when the Congress was trying to find its bearings, cleaning up the mess in its state units, clumsily or otherwise. While the Trinamool sought to justify the defections claiming it could not wait endlessly for the grand old party to set its house in order, the fact remains that a re-energised Congress would torpedo Didi’s ambitions to rule Delhi. Mamata is a wannabe PM in a hurry, but as Tripura’s local body elections showed, the possibility of defectors conjuring up instant results is remote. There is no substitute to gaining people’s trust through hard work.
The TMC is now trying to create an alternative Opposition grouping of non-Congress allies. It can be expected to be more animated than the Congress in disrupting Parliament, so as to strengthen the buzz around Mamata being the best bet to lead the entire Opposition. If only such matters are settled through lung power. No prizes for guessing who benefits big time from the rift.