Kolkata: At a time when doldrums took centre stage in the opposition alliance INDIA ahead of their crucial meeting in the national capital, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave a masterstroke to put the house in order. Mamata Banerjee's proposal in favour of Mallikarjun Kharge signalled the frisson of excitement ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Two reasons could be attributed to the sudden announcement. First, by picking Kharge as the face of the opposition or the Prime Ministerial candidate (in case the alliance manages to thump the ruling BJP in another 4-5 months' time), it will be a non-Gandhi scion. Secondly, being a leader from the southern part of the country Kharge will help the opposition to wreck the saffron brigade in the belt where it is already in a spot of bother after losing Karnataka in last May.
In the recent past, the meeting of the opposition alliance has been repeatedly asked about the face of the alliance. It has been said from within the Trinamool that Mamata Banerjee, the only Trinamool leader, who was successful in the fight against the BJP, should be made the face of the INDIA alliance.
Also, voices from Bihar were getting louder that Nitish Kumar should lead the deserted pack. Mamata Banerjee surprised everyone by announcing Mallikarjun Kharge as the face of the INDIA alliance at Delhi's Ashoka Hotel on Tuesday. According to sources, Mamata Banerjee proposed that there is a Dalit President (Droupadi Murmu) in the country at the moment so the alliance should go to the polls with the Dalit Prime Minister's face in the front. Although Congress is not accepting this publicly, they said that the face will be finalised after the elections.
This is the first time in the recent past that a Congress leader outside the Gandhi family has been the face of the opposition. The proposal came from West Bengal and seconded by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Political analyst and political science teacher Raju Raha said that Trinamool supremo's proposal was a masterstroke.
"The Indian National Congress cannot oppose this decision even if it wants to because for so long Congress has been saying that the face of the alliance should be from Congress. In that case, proposing the name of Mallikarjun Kharge out of the Gandhi family will no doubt put the Congress in a big dilemma," Raha told ETV Bharat.
At the same time, since this proposal is coming from leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, it could also be significant in aligning partners. He also said, "If this decision is finally accepted in the alliance, Mamata Banerjee will be the significant driving force of the opposition INDIA alliance. At this moment we must not forget that BJP has not yet achieved success in the South. In that case, if you vote against a leader from the south, it will have a good effect on the ballot box."
However, after this proposal on Tuesday, Mallikarjun Kharge himself said first the alliance has to win and then they will see, who becomes the Prime Minister. After today's meeting, many alliance leaders wanted to avoid the issue directly. As CPM All India General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "I do not know anything about this. However, seat sharing and common minimum programmes have been discussed. At the same time, there was a discussion about EVM."
Although several leaders present in this meeting said that Mamata Banerjee proposed Mallikarjun Kharge's name as the face of the alliance. However, Mallikarjun Kharge himself later dismissed the matter. Congress leader PC Thomas said, "During the day's meeting, Mamataji proposed that the Dalit Prime Minister should be the face, but the proposal did not go ahead."
However, the blatant denial of Congress raises a plethora of questions. However, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Banerjee said, "Mamata Banerjee understands the nerves of the people of the country very well. So, she had a larger interest in defeating the BJP when she made the offer. Earlier, Mamata Banerjee had said that she does not want to be a face, but she wants to ensure BJP's exit. This proposal proved that once again."
