"What UPA? There is no UPA anymore. We will sit and decide on how to form a new block,"-these words from Mamata Banerjee, a former UPA Minister, actually should give a major shocker to the Congress. The episode shows so-called 'Opposition unity' is marred by cracks within and is powered by the personal ambition of Mamata Banerjee.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his onetime mentor L K Advani had dreamt about a day when the country's oldest political outfit that had surrendered to dynastic tantrums for long would be marginalised.
Around 2013-14, while on his mission of becoming prime minister, Narendra Modi had given a clarion call for a 'Congress Mukt Bharat'. The sycophancy club and liberals, including a large section of national media, had ridiculed BJP's prime ministerial candidate.
Now that 'dream' of Advani and Modi are perhaps coming true. It is being done by a former Congress leader, flamboyant Mamata Banerjee, who 'indirectly' got strategic support from Congress in the May elections earlier this year. The result was Mamata' win', while Congress and Left strength won no seat in the West Bengal assembly.
On Wednesday, she said perhaps the ultimate – that – "There is no UPA". The so-called United Progressive Alliance was floated in 2004, and in 2009, UPA-2, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress was part of it.
The West Bengal Chief Minister has now deserted her former party – like a piece of waste paper. Her rhetoric is a straight case of no confidence in Sonia Gandhi, and her 'affectionate' son Rahul-that the Congress is no longer even fit to get a role to anchor the opposition unity to take on the BJP.
Ms Banerjee wants all regional parties to come together, and importantly, she made the remarks after meeting stalwart of Maharashtra politics and NCP founder Sharad Pawar.
She has also met Shiv Sena leaders Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut. Paradoxically, Sena and NCP run a coalition government and Congress.
"What UPA? There is no UPA anymore. We will sit and decide on how to form a new block," Ms Banerjee was categorical, and she made the remarks with NCP chief Pawar standing by her side after their meeting in Mumbai. Do not be surprised even Sharad Pawar is a former Congressman – who had raised the foreign origin bogey against Italy-born Sonia Gandhi in 1999.
For Congress now – it has an option to stand in a corner leaking wound like the proverbial ageing and wounded tiger. The Congress under Rahul Gandhi suffered two major defeats in 2014 and 2019 – even losing out numbers to claim Leader of the Opposition recognition in Lok Sabha.
However, a 'blind love' of mother Sonia and the machinations of the sycophants have created a situation to continue to give the 'decisive powers' to Rahul Gandhi, who resigned in 2019 after the elections.
By their plans, the power brokers associated with Congress would only try to ensure that Rahul Gandhi is 're-elected uncontested' in stage-managed organisational elections.
