Before the Lok Sabha elections, once again the discussion has flared-up that who is going to be the face of the Prime Minister for the opposition. The issue has been raised by Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar. Although he says he doesn’t want to be the PM, what he says and does is uncertain. He is a very ambitious leader that’s why he has made a record in becoming the CM of alliance in Bihar. Nitish Kumar may refuse, but inconspicuously, he is dreaming of becoming the PM since the last time the Grand Alliance government was formed. The Congress clearly refused to make him face in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, so he turned back and went to the BJP.
Once again, ever since leaving the BJP and becoming the Chief Minister of the Grand Alliance, his only motive is to remove the BJP government from the center. Last year, as soon as he left the BJP and became the CM of the Grand Alliance again, he himself started a discussion about the PM’s chair. As the Lok Sabha elections are coming closer, he keeps expressing his wish. This time he has tried to react by putting the ball in Congress’s court.
While he understands that the opposition cannot do anything without the Congress it is also certain that Congress will never compromise on the post of
PM. But Nitish has played such a move which is not going to make any difference. The first reaction of the Congress was already predicted. Congress had to say that without them opposition unity cannot be successful. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the opposition unity for the Lok Sabha elections will be discussed in the general convention starting on 24 February. It is clear that the Congress will hardly change its stand regarding the alliance which means the party which accepts the leadership of Congress should come under the flag of UPA. Although the session will be completely focused on the party leader Rahul Gandhi and his Bharat Jodo Yatra and the demand to make him the PM will arise. The party will not accept anyone else’s leadership. Surely it will fight for more seats and try to win more seats.
West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee has also tried to declare herself the face for the post of PM before Nitish. After winning Bengal, Mamta probably felt that the opposition would make her the face. But the Congress was not willing to accept anyone other than Rahul Gandhi. Since then she is waiting to see that who will be the face of the opposi
tion. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Telangana Chandrasekhar Rao himself opened the front at the national level by forming a national party. Rao’s front has several parties including the Aam Aadmi Party and the Samajwadi Party. His party Bharat Rashtra Samithi has kept an equal distance from Congress and BJP. However, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear that his party will not forge an alliance with any party. There will be a direct fight between SP and BJP in UP. Bharat Rashtra Samithi is totally dependent on SP in UP. Similarly, Mayawati’s party BSP has also distanced itself from both the major parties. In such a situation, the subject of opposition unity of Nitish, who is facing the split of the party in his state, is beyond comprehension. Because there will be no change in the attitude of the Congress after the convention. Congress would be hoping that BJP’s defeat in 2024 is certain due to rising unemployment, inflation, OPS and Adani-like episodes. Delhi is too far away for Nitish Kumar at the moment. His dream of uniting the opposition does not seem to be fulfilled even in 2024.