Presidential Poll: Mamata Throws The Hook Of United Opposition, Will Naveen Bite The Bait?

Bhubaneswar: Even as a united opposition to take on BJP in national politics remains elusive, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has initiated another move to forge an alliance of all non-BJP parties with an eye on Presidential election ahead.

In a letter to 22 leaders including leaders of opposition parties and chief ministers of the opposition-ruled states, Mamata has proposed to hold a meeting as a show of strength. She has convened the meeting the Constitutional Club in New Delhi on June 15.

She has invited Congress president Sonia Gandhi, chief ministers of Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Punjab to the meeting. Besides, presidents of RJD, Samajwadi president, NCP, RLD, Shiromani Akali Dal, JKNA, PDP and IUML and general secretaries of CPI and CPM are other invitees.

In a bid to whip up anti-BJP sentiment, she said Opposition leader are being deliberately targeted by the Central agencies and it is the right opportunity to raise the voice against the government.

Riding on the outcry at national and international level in the Nupur Sharma episode, Mamata said, “The country’s image has been maligned internationally and bitter dissensions are created within. It is time we strengthen our resistance.”

“The Presidential elections are around the corner, presenting the perfect opportunity for all progressive opposition parties to reconvene and deliberate on the future course of Indian politics. The election is monumental because it gives legislators the opportunity to participate in deciding the Head of our state who is the custodian of democracy. At a time when our democracy is going through troubling times, I believe that a fruitful confluence of opposition voices is the need of the hour, to echo the deprived and unprecedented communities,” the Bengal chief minister said.

Since similar initiatives taken earlier by some opposition by parties including Trinamool Congress have failed to bring all non-BJP parties to a common platform and ended in a fiasco, political analysts remain sceptical to Mamata’s move now.

They contend that the BJP has already drawn up its strategy and is trying to win support from the opposition parties. The visit of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik to New Delhi is a case in point.

After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Naveen had remained non-committal on his party BJD’s support to BJP’s candidate this time. “It is too early to say anything on it,” he had told the media there.

In the last Presidential election also, the BJD had not revealed its cards till last moment and finally extended support to Ramnath Kovind on the ground of his credibility.

Besides, it is no secret about BJD’s tacit support to the saffron party. The Naveen led BJD has bailed out BJP on the floor of Parliament when the latter has fallen short of number in passing any Bill on several occasions.

Moreover, Naveen has remain lukewarm to the concept of united opposition, preferring to remain ostensibly focused on development of Odisha and its people.

A reluctant leader to play an axis role in national politics despite expectation of other non-BJP parties, whether Naveen will bite Mamata bait will be known on June 15.