(Kuradi Chandrasekhara Kalkura)
“Chief Ministers of A.P. and Karnataka, Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka C.M Kumaraswamy, respectively meet and stress on unity of regional parties.” So far, so good. Whenever two or a group of leaders of the regional parties meet, this slogan is raised. Whoever is the senior among them is the choice of the group for the leadership.
There are more than one Prime Ministerial Candidates; e.g. K.Chandarasekhara Rao, Mamata Banarjee, Rahul Gandhi, Chandarababu Naidu etc. Each one of them is an individualistic character. There is a sarcastic characterisation of Mamata. She is unmarried. ‘But ‘Opportunistic’ is her regular companion. Talk of opposition unity is a regular exercise. Then it was anti Congress; now anti BJP, wherein the BJP was also joining. Now the Congress has stepped into its shoes. The present gossip has been in circulation, at least for the last two years. It is like the sanyasis meeting and discussing for the whole night about achieving gigantic goals, and every one of them moving out, in the early morning with their own begging bowls.
Kumaraswamy was in Vijayawada reportedly for a matrimonial alliance to his son. Being a regular visitor to the pilgrimage Centres, he had incidental, but intentional darsan of the Goddess Durga Malleswari also at the Indra Keeladri. Upon return from Vijayawada, there is no follow up action by Swamy; nor has Babu broached the subject anywhere.
The Congress – JDS Coalition has been in power in Karnataka for the last three months. But there was no worthwhile alliance between them in the Urban Local Body (LBS- Municipalities and Municipal Corporations) elections, held on 31st Aug, 2018. If only they were to be together, perhaps results would have been more favourable to them.
Not a day passes without partners passing innuendos against each other. I hasten to add that, though Congress is a national party, as of now it has only few pockets, here and there, as BJP was once. For the purpose of records different factions of the Communists and Janata Dal as well along with TDP and RSRCP are also National Parties.
To come to a certain decision, all the concerned shall meet with a definite agenda and discuss and debate. There is no sign of such an exercise. Who shall take the initiative? Who is to bell the cat? Leaders of many Regional Parties have chosen their successors. They are eager to climb higher. Therefore, there is no wonder if all the leaders of the regional parties stake claims for the national leadership.
A word of caution: In the past, only the coalition governments led by the BJP’s Vajpayee and the Congress’s Manmohan Singh completed full terms. All others, including the one by Morarji Desai, faced premature end by dissolution of the Lok Sabha and by elections.
(Kuradi Chandrasekhar Kalkura is a noted political commentator from Andhra Pradesh)