Congress asks for double whammy – and gets it

The opposition parties seem to be determined to ensure a massive victory for the BJP-led NDA in the general elections in 2024. On one hand, they have taken a decision not to attend the consecration ceremony of Lord Rama temple at Ayodhya, alleging that it is Modi’s show all the way, which the BJP will use it for political gains. On the other hand, they are also critical of Modi becoming the brand ambassador of Lakshadweep.

Well, all this would have had an impact on the electorate if the bloc INDIA had come out of the blocks they have in their mind. The BJP would certainly be using this as a major campaign issue and will try to project Congress as a party which has not come out of its colonial mindset, and will take on the other partners of INDIA saying that they had failed even in the case of seat sharing.

It is interesting to note that the Trinamool Congress has decided to keep away from the meeting with Congress party on seat sharing for Lok Sabha elections. Mamata-led TMC says that they have already conveyed their views to the AICC and hence there is no need to attend the meeting. Mamata said she is not keen on attending this meeting. The TMC had offered just two seats to Congress which were won by it in 2019 elections, out of 42 Lok Sabha seats, and said that she wants to contest in one seat from Meghalaya and in two LS constituencies in Assam. The TMC says that it would forego Goa if the Congress agrees for her proposal. This has miffed the Congress. The grand old party wants her to give more seats in West Bengal.

The Congress party feels that it deserves more seats but TMC argues that the vote share of the grand old party is not much and, hence, based on this parameter, Mamata Banerjee has agreed to allot just two seats. Congress has a vote share of only 5.67 per cent in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, she points out to buttress her argument. “The Congress leadership should acknowledge the ground reality in Bengal. They are weak,” the leader said. “We are ready to lead the fight in West Bengal. We are committed to the INDIA bloc and to defeating the BJP. Our position is clearly spelt out with data, so there is no need for one to go to Delhi and have another discussion,” the TMC leader said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC won 22 seats in West Bengal, the Congress won two, and the BJP secured 18 seats. This can lead to more problems for the bloc India. The road ahead is not so smooth for Congress to see that there was consensus in seat sharing.

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes “everything personally”, referring to the row between India and Maldives. “At the international level, we should keep a good relationship with our neighbours. We should act according to time. We cannot change our neighbours,” Kharge said. Fine, no one disputes this reality. However, the way three ministers of Maldives took to social media, berating Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep justifies why Indians took umbrage at the atrocious comments of ‘clown’ and ‘puppet’ against the PM who only promoted tourism in our smallest union territory. Where is the scope for politicising the issue? Congress thus ended up with an egg on its face.