Once bitten is twice shy. However, the Congress party seems to be unaware of this adage. Take the Karnataka elections for example, in which after a fractured mandate, the Congress quickly moved to form an alliance with the Janata Dal(Secular) (JD(S)).
They not only offered support, but also offered the post of Chief Minister to HD Kumaraswamy.
Although, wasn’t it common knowledge that a pre-poll Congress-JD(S) alliance can defeat the BJP in Karnataka? An alliance similar to the one Nitish and Lalu forged in 2015 in Bihar.
In Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the alliance of Akhilesh and Mayawati proved that if the opposition parties unite against the BJP, then the saffron party can be beaten even in its own bastion.
But, Congress’ ‘ego’ cost them Karnataka, just like it cost them Bihar and UP.
Granted, if they’d entered a pre-poll alliance they would have had to give certain seats to JD(S) and come up with a formula for the distribution of cabinet posts. But at least they wouldn’t have had to give up the chief minister’s post.
But no, they stuck with, “We are Congress. We will stay empty-handed if it satisfies our ego!”
If the Congress party doesn’t give up this attitude, then they may suffer the same fate in every Assembly election where regional parties play a key role.
An NCP-Congress alliance is possible in Maharashtra, but what about a TDP-Congress alliance in Andhra Pradesh? Can Congress give Chandrababu Naidu the assurance that they will follow him if he takes charge in the elections?
Similarly, will the Congress agree to fight elections under the leadership of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana? The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu? The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha?
By offering the post of chief minister to HD Kumaraswamy, the Congress has made an effort to digress from its old image. If the Congress agrees to take a backseat in certain other states as well, regional leaders may even be more willing to accept the leadership of Rahul Gandhi at the Centre.
Take the case of Mamata Banerjee. She advocates for an ‘alliance of equals’ against the BJP. Congress has to decide whether to join hands with her in West Bengal, or join hands with the Left to divide the anti-Mamata vote in a tripartite battle with the BJP.
It’s not wise to wait till your house is on fire to start digging a well — especially, for those who pride themselves on being a 130-year-old party and claim to be the largest party in the country.
Video Editor: Vivek Gupta
Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya
Video Producer: Anubhav Mishra
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