‘Setbacks in Bengal, Bihar won’t matter’: Congress says INDIA bloc, Rahul Gandhi on course

Senior Congress leaders believe the Bihar chief minister’s 'betrayal' and his Bengal counterpart’s intemperate language have bolstered the Congress’s credibility and demolished any prospects of a non-BJP, non-Congress 'third front'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses supporters during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Ramgarh district in Jharkhand.: PTI picture.

Sanjay K. Jha, TT, 05.02.24 : Senior Congress leaders are not too worried at the recent jolts received in the form of Nitish Kumar dumping the INDIA bloc and Mamata Banerjee sniping at the Grand Old Party while ruling out seat-sharing in Bengal.

They believe the Bihar chief minister’s “betrayal” and his Bengal counterpart’s intemperate language have bolstered the Congress’s credibility and demolished any prospects of a non-BJP, non-Congress “third front”.

A senior Congress leader said the developments should help people make up their minds. While it is clearer now that only the Congress has the political maturity to lead the anti-BJP struggle, there is a possibility that people will realise the need to strengthen Rahul Gandhi’s hands just in time, when electioneering peaks in the coming weeks, the leader said.

The Congress feels that the massive crowds at the Nyay Yatra in Assam, Bengal and Jharkhand, where the party is weak organisationally, may be an indication of a deepening perception about the centrality of Rahul’s role in the fight against Narendra Modi.

Rahul, who recently castigated Assam’s BJP chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has demonstrated maturity by not hitting back at a belligerent Mamata.

Congress sources have also been underscoring that key INDIA partners like the DMK, NCP, Shiv Sena, RJD and JMM have stood firm in solidarity, showing no signs of wavering after Nitish Kumar’s exit.

“Kamal Nath made an unseemly remark about (Samajwadi Party president) Akhilesh Yadav and there was a national outcry about ‘Congress arrogance’,” a Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh said.

“Akhilesh is attacking us daily and making unilateral moves but we have maintained silence. Everybody has to understand the demands of coalition dharma.”

When Akhilesh complained about not being invited to the Nyay Yatra, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh responded promptly saying the detailed route in Uttar Pradesh would be shared with INDIA partners after being finalised in a couple of days.

Both Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Ramesh have repeatedly said that all INDIA partners are welcome to join the Yatra.

Ramesh has also kept repeating that Mamata is an important leader of the coalition and her goal is the same as the Congress’s – to defeat the BJP.

The INDIA allies understand that Mamata doesn’t want the BJP to capture the entire Opposition space in Bengal and is therefore pushing the Congress and the Left to present a formidable alternative.

Even CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury offered the same logic a few days ago, justifying strategic positioning in states like Kerala and Bengal.

“If all the partners of the INDIA bloc fight the elections together in some states, the BJP will benefit. For instance, in Kerala, because of the straight fight between the LDF and (the Congress-led) UDF, the BJP could not win a single seat,” he said.

“In West Bengal, if all the partners of the INDIA bloc come together, it will only help the BJP. The same is the case in Punjab. Electoral politics is not mere arithmetic.”

But what has hurt many INDIA leaders is Mamata’s prediction of doom for the Congress and her personal attacks on Rahul. She has questioned whether the Congress can win even 40 seats.

The Congress performed miserably in 2014 and 2019, winning only 44 and 52 seats, respectively. The Modi government cannot be defeated if the Congress cannot significantly improve its tally, probably crossing 100.

Questioning the Congress’s ability to win 40 seats is therefore, in some INDIA leaders’ eyes, tantamount to declaring Modi as invincible.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Bokaro on Sunday.

PTI picture

Asked about Mamata’s statement, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT) said: “Let her say what she wants; our assessment is that the Congress will win 150 seats.”

The Congress is not only confident of winning an additional 25-30 seats from the south compared with last time, it expects significantly improved tallies from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Haryana and Jharkhand.

As for Delhi, Gujarat and Himachal, the Congress hopes to open its account this time.

An alliance leader who believes INDIA has progressed slowly because of the Congress, however, insisted that every partner should be careful about its language even if tactical positioning requires “friendly fights” in some states.

“The concerted effort should be to expose the BJP and counter its false narratives, not to unravel the Opposition alliance. On that yardstick, Rahul is doing a good job,” he said.