There is no Opposition party barring the Congress that has a presence across the country, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said on Thursday in an interview to The Hindu, arguing that the Congress alone can lead the Opposition space. His comments come amidst the clamour in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as they vie for the role of the primary Opposition force.
“Every Opposition party in the country has certain regional pockets of strength. There is no cross-State party as yet apart from the Congress and, to a certain extent, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). And I would only reluctantly give this status to the BJP because it managed to get a majority on its own only in three States, while in the others, they manufactured a majority to grab power,” Mr. Nath said.
There is a long list of common challenges, both economic and social, on which all tahe Opposition-ruled States should come together, he said.
Expressing optimism about the upcoming elections in the five States, Mr. Nath said that the March 10 results would “surprise everyone”. “Today, we have, largely, a very enlightened electorate, [which is] very different from what we had ten or 20 years ago. I am confident this electorate can see for themselves that no section of society is happy,” he said.
Speaking on the possible impact of these elections on the leadership question that hangs over the Congress, Mr. Nath said that the process of kick-starting the party’s internal elections had already begun by listening in to the advice from the G-23 group of senior leaders, who have been demanding systemic changes in the party.
Mr. Nath ruled himself out for the position of Congress president or any role at the party headquarters in Delhi, pleading that with elections in Madhya Pradesh just 20 months away, he could not leave his post just yet. At the same time, he insisted that if anybody from the Congress’s first family was in the fray for the position of Congress president, then they would be the obvious choice.