Digvijaya Singh: There Can And Will Be a Post-Poll Alliance in UP

As the 2019 General Elections knocks on India’s door, BJP, Congress, and other parties are preparing in full swing. One of the keywords that have been doing the rounds this election is ‘alliance’.

Both the BJP and the Congress are trying their best to form as many alliances in as many states. However, when it comes to Uttar Pradesh, the situation seems a little grim for the Congress as the SP and the BSP have already entered an alliance and excluded the Congress from this.

To this, senior Congress leader and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh tells The Quint’s Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia that a post poll alliance between the Congress, the BSP and the SP can happen and will happen.

I want an assessment from you regarding the fact that everyone says that the BJP is a threat. And now that the elections are here, the Opposition is still quite fragmented. And it is quite puzzling for me that the Congress has played its role. In UP, the Congress will actually benefit the BJP, it is evident. What kind of politics is this?

First things first, there is no threat from the BJP. The way that Narendra Modi has shaped India’s politics we are concerned about that. Atal Vihari Vajpayee governed for six years, we had no problem then. Because Vajpayee was not only a prime minister but also a democrat. He would at least listen to the people. Narendra Modi from the very start has said that ‘I will make India Congress-free.’ Which means that he wants to rid the country of all political parties and rule all by himself. That’s not a democracy.

A democracy where there are no Opposition parties is not a democracy, it is an autocracy. We are not concerned with the BJP, we are concerned about Narendra Modi. He is the person who would talk about ‘Gujarat Development Model’. But what is the Gujarat Development Model? It is essentially creating a rift between Hindus and Muslims and ruling with the help of that. Disturb people, spy on them. Fabricate truth and lies.It might have succeeded in Gujarat, but it will not work in India.

If it is such a pressing issue, then isn’t the state of opposition unity disappointing?

Thing is, there are regional parties. The BJP has a core support, ideologically. The other ideology is the Gandhian Ideology, Lohia’s ideology and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s ideology which is the left of centre. That is where the competition is.

No regional party wants to see the Congress strong there. Even then, we have an agreement in Tamil Nadu. An agreement in Karnataka. We have an alliance in Kerala for a while now. An agreement in Maharashtra. Next, we have an agreement in Bihar, Jharkhand. There’s no need of an alliance in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

All that is left is UP. There are small alliances here and there in UP and Delhi. In UP, the way SP and BSP have decided that they will be contesting the elections together and leave two seats for the Congress, what would the Congress do in such an insulting scenario?

Then you take emotional decisions and let these elections go.

It’s not like that. Even if the alliance doesn’t happen, the BJP is still not getting the seats that they are hoping for. Take a look at the 2014 election results. Leave Congress aside. If SP and BSP combine their votes then they won’t get so many seats. 

This arithmetic goes haywire when the chemistry isn’t strong. The not-so-convinced voters want direction, they want to see cohesion, consolidation and a lack of fragmentation in the parties. That’s when they come and vote. The behaviour of the SP, BSP and Congress is not of consolidation but that of fragmentation.

Let me take you back to 2004. SP, BSP and Congress fought separately. But when the government was formed, the three parties formed an alliance and formed government. The government ruled for 10 years. So that isn’t going to make any difference. There can be an alliance post the 2019 elections, and it will happen.