Knowing where to draw the line: Indian politics

Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and ‘attack on democracy’ diatribe may have put him in direct confrontation with the BJP, but his party finds itself increasingly isolated by the regional outfits despite periodic episodes of bonhomie among the Opposition.

The regional satraps be it West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao are averse to any direct alliance with the Congress and making efforts to stitch their own coalitions to take on the BJP in the 2024 elections. The TMC chief, who has been rallying behind the idea of a non-Congress Third Front has been meeting key leaders from different regional parties across India. Last week, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met her in Kolkata. This Friday, it was Janata Dal (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy who called on her in the West Bengal capital.

In between, Mamata came on a three-day visit to Odisha. While the professed reason was to lay the foundation of a Biswa Bangla Bhawan for her state’s tourists at Puri and offer prayers to Lord Jagannath, she came bearing gifts for her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik and expressed her profound admiration for him.

Needless to mention, there was a resounding clamour around her meeting with Naveen on Thursday. However, the BJD supremo who had earlier summarily dismissed having any agenda on Third Front talks was his usual self - he calmly termed it a courtesy call by Mamata and said there was no discussion on serious political matters.

“The federal structure in India should remain permanent and strong” was how he encapsulated the meeting which was endorsed by the TMC boss too. Given the BJP’s deteriorating terms with many Opposition-ruled state governments, the BJD boss’ federal structure remark raised curiosity.

But the very next day, the BJD chose to present more clarity. Cabinet minister Pratap Keshari Deb said there was no discussion between the two CMs on Third Front and the ruling party continues to adopt the equidistance stand from both Congress and BJP.

Around the same time, Rahul had been disqualified from Lok Sabha and Deb’s colleague and Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallick said it was as per law and court’s order and nobody can disrespect the verdict of the court.

Most regional parties including Mamata condemned the disqualification while BJD endorsed it. Two prominent regional party leaders from the southern states - YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as well as TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu refrained from making any comments, and expectedly so.

BJD’s quiet endorsement of Rahul’s disqualification and a reiteration of the equidistance stand comes at a time when it has been engaged in an acrimonious battle with BJP in the state. Both parties have been at each other’s throats since last year’s Dhamnagar bypoll, and after the shocking murder of state Health minister Naba Kishore Das, it has just boiled over. Allegations of all kinds, political and personal as well have flown thick and fast and spilt over to the streets. Even the proceedings in the state Assembly have been affected.

What’s interesting, however, is how the BJD supremo has been able to separate state politics from the national discourse. When the Opposition (read mainly BJP) targeted his government over the law and order situation disrupting the functioning of the Assembly, he took them head-on.

“By accusing the state as lawless, the Opposition is insulting the peace-loving people of Odisha,” Naveen said in the Assembly. Yet, only a couple of days later, in the face of a nationwide political attack on the BJP over the disqualification of Rahul, his party has chosen to side with its main rival in the state, albeit indirectly.

Naveen has not directly reacted to the development, but his party leader’s observations could not be without his nod. The BJD chief has been called an unofficial member of the NDA government at the Centre while being in a direct fight with the BJP in the state since 2014. The latest only buttresses the accusations.

But, it won’t make a difference. Eventually, smart politics is all about fine balancing. Naveen is miles ahead of the rivals in the state and has no national ambitions like Mamata or KCR. He is clear in his strategy and plays the game accordingly.

Siba Mohanty
Resident Editor, Odisha
sibamohanty@newindianexpress.com