This is not an organisation, it is a movement. We have decided, we cannot stay silent any longer. We are ready to pay any price.
When rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha banged his fists on the table in Delhi’s Constitution Club and made the above statement, many in the NDA government turned to pay attention. He announced a “Rashtra Manch,” which people from various political parties, stepping above party politics, have joined.
Foundation for ‘Rashtra Manch’ Laid During Akola Movement
From demonetisation, goods and services tax (GST) to the issue of mob mentality in the name of nationalism, Yashwant Sinha has been a constant critic of the Narendra Modi government.
His pictures from December 2017 come to mind, when he sat down to protest with the farmers in Akola, Maharashtra. His support to the movement forced the state government under the BJP to accept all the demands of the farmers. The Opposition saw him as a force against the BJP, and right then the foundation was laid for the “Rashta Manch.”
People Who Shared Stage With Sinha
At the event on Tuesday, 30 January, another rebel BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha also attended the function. Also present were Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury, NCP MP Majeed Memon, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and spokesperson Ashutosh, former Union ministers Sompal Shastri and Harmohan Dhawan, Samajwadi Party’s Ghanshyam Tiwari, RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary, former Rajya Sabha members Mohammed Adeeb and Shahid Siddiqui, and leaders of various farmers organisations.
The presence of JDU leader Pawan Verma was a bit surprising, considering his party is quite close to the BJP these days. On the other hand, the absence of Left parties was jarring since any anti-NDA forum feels incomplete without the Left.
Yashwant Sinha had no clear answer on why the Left were not present. But the active involvement of their rival (TMC) party’s Dinesh Trivedi somewhat explained the absence.
While talking to Quint Hindi, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha said:
Many in the government will view this forum negatively. Its relevance will be questioned. But our aim is constructive change and reform, which the country seriously needs.
During the press conference, Yashwant Sinha said the forum will highlight the Central government’s unsound policies over farmers’ issues and other challenges. He stressed on the point that there may be political leaders in the forum but the forum itself will never become a political party.
How Effective Will ‘Rashtra Manch’ Be?
The forum can be seen as a collective of spent shells who came together, but the coming together of rivals like Congress and AAP, regional parties like SP, NCP and TMC, government supporter JD(U) and farmers’ organisations, all on one platform is going to worry the government.
If the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are held at the schedule time, then there are 15 months to go. Even though most election surveys still show the BJP as the strongest contender, everyone also agrees that the government’s popularity is decreasing.
Bridge to Possible Future Alliances
Maybe, these are times or the political impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi; even primary Opposition parties like the Congress have been reduced to ‘individual based politics’ as opposed to ‘issue based politics.’
In such a situation, when a forum managed by a polished and educated leader like Yashwant Sinha raises issues of the commonman, which tend to get lost in usual political back and forth, it is bound to create alternative public opinion.
Who knows, maybe this ‘non-political’ collective of political parties might become a bridge between rival parties like SP and BSP or TMC and Left and lead to a grand alliance against the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
(The story was originally published on Quint Hindi and has been republished with permission.)
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