E-Paper
India’s Opposition is looking for a modern day Harkishan Singh Surjeet
All the modern aspirants want the top job for themselves. Besides getting the numbers, managing individual ambitions of Opposition leaders will be the be their big challenge in 2019
As the political competition heats up for 2019, there is a growing sense in the opposition that political space has opened up. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains the dominant, almost hegemonic, party in the Indian political theatre. But it does not look as invincible as it did a year ago, after its resounding victory in Uttar Pradesh. Bypoll successes in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in particular have emboldened opposition parties. They also believe that given that the BJP peaked in north, central and west India, it would be difficult for the party to replicate the performance. But this is coupled with realism. Narendra Modi’s personal popularity remains high; the BJP’s organisation remains robust; its power is spread across states; and even with a dip in numbers, the party may well be the largest force in the next Parliament. And that is why if the opposition is fragmented, it has little chance of success. The effort, therefore, in the past few months in the Opposition camp, has been two-fold: stitch up as broad a pre-poll alliance as possible in each state and at the national level; and ensure channels are open among all non-BJP parties to forge a post-poll alliance if necessary.
But this is not an abstract process. It requires individuals with the relationships across party lines to reach out and reconcile interests and ambitions; it requires individuals with political stature who will command respect. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was one such leader. He played a crucial role in the formation of the United Front governments after 1996; he also ensured that the Left Front supported the Congress in 2004. In both cases, his ambition was straightforward : keeping out the BJP. He harboured little personal ambition of his own and that helped, for other leaders did not feel insecure of him. Many in the opposition today seek to play this role. Telangana chief minister, K Chandrashekhar Rao, has been engaged in political consultations with leaders as varied as DMK’s MK Stalin and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav. West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, sees herself as the key anchor of the alliance which will take on the BJP. Sharad Pawar — the veteran political leader and strategist — is working to convince the Congress to shed its arrogance towards regional parties and regional parties to recognise the Congress’s centrality. Mayawati is quietly building alliances with regional players — be it the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka or the INLD in Haryana. India’s opposition is looking for a modern day Surjeet, but with one crucial difference. All the modern aspirants want the top job for themselves. Besides getting the numbers, managing individual ambitions will be their big challenge in 2019.
