By B. Sanjay

Moves for a possible Federal Front gained momentum with the Nationalist Congress Party leader, Sharad Pawar calling a meeting of non-Congress Opposition parties at his residence on Tuesday. Pawar sought  the assemblage after meeting the poll strategist, Prashant Kishor for the second time today. Pawar had earlier met Kishor on June 11 in Mumbai. Both Pawar and the Trinamul Congress chief, Ms Mamata Banerjee had been working towards forming a Federal Front comprising non-BJP-Congress outfits. The Congress, Opposition parties felt, was in "no position" to put up a fight against the Narendra Modi led BJP for the 2024 elections.

Speaking to India Narrative, a senior dissident Congress leader, who belonged to the G-23, indicated that there was a possibility of Congress heading for a "split" if the Gandhi clan "did not amend its style of functioning." The leader argued that even though Congress has been "neutralised and lost its clout in the Opposition space, the family was still controlling the narrative." It was learnt that Gandhis want Congress to lead the Opposition parties. The dissident Congress leader said that the only way for the Congressmen to support an Opposition front was to "bypass the family."

When contacted TMC Rajya Sabha MP, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray expressed strong reservations about Congress. "We don't trust Congress," he told India Narrative.

On forming an Opposition front, Mr Ray felt that it has to be done in the lines of Opposition unity in 1977. He maintained that all the opposition parties need to come under one umbrella. Besides major regional and Opposition outfits, which include, RJD, Samajwadi Party, BSP, TMC, BJD, NCP, DMK, TRS, YSR Congress, Shiv Sena, CPI(ML), there are a few hundred smaller regional outfits. “There are over 2000 big and small regional parties. All these outfits need to come on one platform to challenge the tyrannical rule of Modi and Shah,” he maintained.  Saying that Congress continued to remain an “important player” at the national level,  Ray hoped that the party would get off its high horse and play a “supporting role.”

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an NCP functionary revealed that during the first meeting with Pawar, Kishor had pointed out at least 400 Lok Sabha seats where the non-Congress-BJP parties have "strong chances." Kishor apparently maintained that Congress "is in no position to take on Modi led BJP." Kishor was clear that the only way to oust the BJP was by making all regional outfits "come under one umbrella."

While the two main Left parties, CPI(M) and CPI, the CPI(ML) leader, Mr Dipankar Bhattacharya felt that after the Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu victories, “Opposition alliance is the need of the hour.” He made it clear that the CPI(ML) was “willing to be  part of any such Opposition alliance.”