From the Urdu Press: ‘Mamata, Pawar must return to Congress’; ‘Rahul’s resistance pitch compelling’

The unravelling of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) in just a few weeks after its humiliating loss to the BJP in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections has continued to dominate the front pages of the Urdu dailies. After losing control of her Legislature Party in the Bengal Assembly, Mamata is now reeling from a split in her Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha, with 20 rebel TMC MPs claiming their merger with an obscure outfit, Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), as part of their alignment with the ruling BJP-led NDA. The dailies kept the spotlight on these developments, which are set to have a bearing on national politics in the coming days.

Flagging the BJP’s alleged bid to break parties in various states under “Operation Lotus”, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its June 13 editorial, says that several Opposition parties, especially regional parties such as the Sharad Pawar-founded NCP and now the TMC, have already been split so far. “This has dealt a body blow to the Opposition groupings – the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, and the INDIA bloc at the national level,” it says. The AAP has also suffered a division, the edit states, referring to the defection of its seven Rajya Sabha MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, to the BJP. “The unrelenting fragmentation of the Opposition parties has led to an atmosphere in which no party other than the BJP would be able to rule the country. This warrants a serious brainstorming by the Opposition leaders to work out joint strategies to counter the BJP.”

The daily points out that in Bengal around 60 of the 80 TMC MLAs and about 20 Lok Sabha MPs have revolted and split the party. “Like the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the TMC has been buffeted with Mamata scrambling to save her party. Various agencies and money may have played a big role in breaking the TMC,” the edit says. “It is imperative for the struggling Opposition alliance to get its act together and save its existence and identity.”

Citing the instances of breakaway factions of the Sena and the NCP, the editorial says the same may happen to the TMC. “It is time that Sharad Pawar and Mamata consider their homecoming to the Congress and merge their outfits with the grand old party. They had been associated with the Congress for a large part of their political careers. By returning to the Congress, they could strengthen the party in its battle against the BJP,” it states. The Congress also needs heavyweight leaders like Pawar and Mamata, who would have their own space in the party. Such a development would also galvanise the Opposition and disrupt the ruling dispensation’s game, the edit says. “This would be an effective payback from Pawar and Mamata to the BJP’s politics, which would also have a resonance among the people.”

MUNSIF

Referring to the INDIA bloc’s meeting in Delhi, the Hyderabad-based Munsif, in its June 12 leader, notes that it also saw participation of leaders like Mamata Banerjee who used to shy away from acknowledging the alliance’s importance before her party’s debale in the Bengal polls. “The point remains that any differences between the Opposition parties would only fuel the BJP to fulfil its designs. The INDIA allies must have a common agenda for the sake of the country to protect our democracy and Constitution. They must unitedly take on the BJP which is allegedly misusing power and agencies to script its electoral successes,” the editorial says.

The Opposition parties do not have any option other than closing their ranks to face the BJP juggernaut, the daily states. “At the meeting, the INDIA allies agreed on several points. They would write to the Chief Justice of India to protest against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and electoral irregularities. They pressed for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-CBSE rows,” it says. “They also demanded that the Modi government convene an all-party meeting to discuss the precarious economic situation, unemployment, price rise, and atrocities against oppressed sections.”

The edit points out that while the DMK boycotted the meeting to protest against the Congress’s move to join hands with Vijay-led TVK to form the new government in Tamil Nadu, the CPI(M) also took aim at the Congress for its campaign in the Kerala elections. “The deliberations over such concerns while displaying mutual respect could actually strengthen the INDIA bloc,” it states. Noting the INDIA parties’ decision to hold their meeting after every two months now, it says, “They should also have their alignments at the state level rather than just limiting it to the national plane. For, their state rivalries often inject bitterness into their central equations. A dominant ally in a state should take other partners on board to boost the alliance and deepen their ties.”

The daily writes that the INDIA camp must also expand its ranks. “It should try to induct parties such as Mayawati’s BSP, Naveen Patnaik’s BJD and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP, which are currently neither aligned with the NDA nor any other front,” the edit says, adding that the BJP’s aggressive politics has marginalised such parties too. “While the BJD and the YSRCP had often helped the Modi government, the BJP has not shown the same gesture towards them. Their vote bases could be a shot in the arm for the Opposition if they join the bloc,” it adds.

INQUILAB

Highlighting the speech delivered by Rahul Gandhi at the INDIA bloc meeting, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its June 16 editorial, says that the nine-minute address of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha was “clear-eyed and compelling” in which he called upon his allies that it was easy to beat the BJP if they “stood together and resisted”. “Responding to the attacks on the Congress by its partners, Rahul told them that he was ready to accept all their criticism happily but they must understand the overwhelming reality — that it could no longer be business as usual and that the Opposition front must mount an effective resistance with unity to turn the tide and reclaim the vital institutions which have been captured,” the edit states. “Rahul exuded confidence and resolve, he sounded earnest and purposeful, and there was no tinge of disappointment in his pitch.”

The daily underlines that resistance and unity framed the theme of Rahul’s address. “Rahul called the Congress a party of resistance, which spearheaded the country’s historic struggle against the British to win freedom,” it notes. “The LoP also made it clear that their objective should not just be to win the next elections but to protect the country’s democratic and constitutional institutions, which have been subverted, and uphold the idea of India,” the edit says, adding that it has to be seen whether his appeal has struck any chord with the constituents of the INDIA alliance.