On a day when former NDA ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu met with Congress president Rahul Gandhi for exploring a joint front against the ruling alliance, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav made light of the effort and said that some parties that were joining the ranks of the opposition alliance could well find themselves in the NDA after the 2019 polls.
“We are watching the efforts at a Mahagathbandhan, today they may come together, tomorrow there maybe divorce,” said Mr. Madhav, speaking at the launch of journalist Priya Sahgal’s book “The Contenders: Who will lead India tomorrow” (Simon and Schuster). “Some who are fiercely opposing us may tomorrow be on our side,” he quipped.
Other participants including former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary however didn’t really rise to Mr. Madhav’s bait.
Terming Mr. Madhav’s comment as a sign that Prime Minister Narendra Modi needed help to win in 2019, and was not “invincible”, Mr. Abdullah said: “We were told that Mr. Modi is invincible, clearly that is not the case now and he needs others to win.”
Responding, Mr. Madhav said his remarks were in the context of the amorphous nature of opposition unity, and the loose bonds that hold it together.
Intervening in the discussion, which was moderated by journalist Vir Sanghvi, Mr. Yadav declared that he was not going to throw his hat in the ring for a national position.
“I’m happy to be in Uttar Pradesh, I don’t ever want to be Prime Minister,” he said, signalling that he was prepared to make way if his traditional rival and current potential ally, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati wanted to bid for the PM;s chair.
He also added that “whoever wanted to be Prime Minister has to contest from Uttar Pradesh,” a remark most likely aimed at the Congress president.
Speaking on the efforts for a grand opposition alliance, Mr. Pilot observed that a lot could be learnt from Mr. Naidu, who had “gotten out early” from the NDA and was making new friends.
