With the Lok Sabha elections merely a few months away, opposition parties from Bihar held a show of strength in the national capital on Thursday, formally declaring that a 'Mahagathbandhan' of anti-Modi forces will fight the polls together. One of the highlight of the event was ex-NDA ally Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), led by Upendra Kushwaha, joining the alliance.
A line-up of leaders from the state addressed the media at the AICC headquarters, and the choice of venue gives the Congress a reason to cheer as it signifies a recognition of the pivotal role that the grand old party has to play in getting an alliance together to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in the general elections.
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Among the leaders present at the briefing were senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, AICC general secretary in-charge of Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha chief and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, prominent opposition leader Sharad Yadav, and new entrant into the 'grand alliance', Kushwaha of RLSP.
“It is a matter of happiness that Upendra Kushwaha is joining the Bihar Mahagathbandhan,” said Patel, who has played a crucial role in the negotiations with the Bihar party leading up to its exit from the NDA and entry into the opposition alliance.
“Formally, from today, my party is a part of the UPA. The generosity shown by Rahul Gandhi and Laluji are a big reason behind this. But the biggest reason I am here is that this is what the people of Bihar want,” Kushwaha said.
Tejashwi Yadav said the binding force of the alliance is the ideological similarity between the parties. “All of us recognise the threat posed by the BJP to the Constitution and to the country's democratic institutions,” he said. He expressed confidence that taking a cue from Bihar, opposition parties will come together at the national level.
The Bihar Mahagathbandhan is crucial to the opposition's plans for the Lok Sabha polls since the state accounts for 40 seats, 22 of which were won by the BJP in the 2014 general elections. The firming up of the alliance in Bihar is also important for the Congress in the backdrop of speculation that in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, regional parties Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party are wary of offering the national party any role in the opposition coalition.
The Delhi outing of the Bihar parties also came at a time when there are reports of NDA ally LJP too getting restive and showing signs of bolting. Asked about the possibility of Ram Vilas Paswan's party switching sides to join the opposition alliance, Yadav gave a loaded reply. “There is a change in the weather. The country will soon see pleasant weather,” he said.
