Opposition parties and form a united front to take the BJP head-on soon after May 23 (Page 1, “Naidu meets Rahul; to call on Mamata too”, and Editorial, “Alternative dreams”, both May 9). On the other side of the fence, the Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao too is making similar efforts to form a non-Congress and non-BJP ‘federal front’. This is intriguing. The moot point is that a strong government should be there at the Centre for the continuation and implementation of foreign policy, internal strategies and welfare schemes, while a strong Opposition needs to be in place to protect democratic norms. In both instances, the plans by Mr. Naidu and Mr. Rao are problematic. A government with the Congress as a small player will not be stable. Either the rest of the Opposition parties should come forward to support the Congress or be prepared to see the BJP instantly form the next government with the help of its allies and or by means of horse-trading. The example of Goa is still fresh before us.
M.Y. Shariff,
Chennai
The polling process is yet to be completed, but the actions of the regional party chiefs, Mr. Naidu and Mr. Rao, show that regional parties could have a vital role in the formation of the next government at the Centre. However, since today’s politics revolves around the number game than policies, it is too early for the Opposition to be getting into action. As the saying goes, “there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics”. We wait for May 23.
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,
Hyderabad