KCR's Mega BRS Rally Displays His National Ambitions But Fragmented Oppn Will Only Benefit BJP

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, at the BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) party's rally, in Khammam, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. ( Image Source :PTI )

Not for the first time, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has attempted to unite a large number of opposition leaders against the Bharatiya Janata Party. On Wednesday, a massive rally was held in Khammam, with many opposition leaders in attendance. Rao's party, Telangana Rashtriya Samithi, recently changed its name to Bharat Rashtriya Samithi to make its national ambitions clear. KCR's ambitions are not problematic, and like any other regional politician, he wishes for his political party to become a national one. However, his repeated efforts to unite the opposition have not much political value beyond good optics and headlines. Without Congress or other political parties such as the Trinamool Congress, RJD, and NCP, no opposition formation can compete with the BJP's electoral apparatus. Without Telangana, KCR has no ideology or concept to present.

On Wednesday, this rally was attended by opposition chief ministers including Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI national general secretary D Raja, and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPIM. An enormous crowd gathered to hear KCR and other leaders speak. KCR's message was unambiguous: he will confidently and openly confront the BJP. The primary contest in Telangana is between the TRS and the BJP. However, when it comes to KCR's national ambitions, he faces a number of obstacles.

Opposition Race

Post-2014, an important trend in Indian politics is that every non-BJP, non-Congress political party has attempted to occupy the opposition's space. With the decline of Congress across India, regional political parties have become more ambitious. It is also noteworthy that despite the BJP's national victory over Congress, the regional parties have taken the lead in state elections. These regional political parties ranging from KCR's party to Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress also include the AAP, Biju Janata Dal, DMK, JDS, RJD, YSRCP, Samajwadi Party, NCP, Shiva Sena, and others.

Recently, Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP became the ninth national party. The party rose to prominence by stealing Congress votes in Delhi, Punjab, Goa, and Gujarat. KCR is attempting to fill the opposition void. The problem, however, is that these opposition parties lack cohesion and have their own regional priorities. This fragmented opposition can only benefit the BJP. In the recent Gujarat assembly elections, for instance, the AAP competed for the first time and received 13% of the vote, all of which came at the expense of Congress. And because of this fragmented opposition, the BJP won with an enormous majority

Aspiration Vs Reality

All opposition parties except Congress are regional, and as a result, they have multiple priorities. These priorities represent their political obligations to the citizens of these regions, and they will never be able to divert their attention from them. For instance, KCR's political presence is the pride of Telangana. Without this sense of regional pride, KCR has no political legacy to advance. Rao began his political career with Congress before affiliating with the Telugu Desam Party. In neither of these political organisations was KCR a prominent figure. From that point on, he became a prominent politician in India by championing the cause of Telangana's regional pride. He fought for the independent Telangana state. KCR has survived since 2001 due to the cause of Telangana; if he attempts to replace his political future with the larger cause of India leaving Telangana, he will lose political relevance in his state. It is crucial to realise that he will never do that, as it would be political suicide.

This reality and these politicians' political commitments are the central issues. For instance, Mamata Banerjee, who is currently attempting to establish a foothold in other states such as Meghalaya and Tripura, recognises that her party has no existence without Bengal-centric politics. As a result, it is impossible for her to ever join forces with the Left, as her entire career has consisted of fighting against the Left. In the same way, Arvind Kejriwal cannot join Congress. Without a strategy to resolve these differences, oppositional unity cannot succeed.

The Congress Aspect

While it is true that Congress has been declining throughout India, it is the only national political party capable of uniting all other parties. Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the party is attempting a revival with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Congress is not always receptive to alliance negotiations. It recently harshly criticised the KCR, and when it invited several political leaders to Kashmir, it did not invite leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal. This demonstrates that Congress also has limits. However, it is essential for political leaders such as KCR to comprehend the political significance of any opposition to the BJP. The Congress has a more expansive worldview and a larger vote share in India than any other opposition party.

Credibility Of KCR

KCR has considerable political appeal in Telangana and the southern states, but none in the remaining states. KCR is not Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, or Mamata Banerjee, there should be no doubt about that. These leaders have extensive experience in politics and multiple alliances, as well as knowledge of coalition politics. KCR attempted to form a third front prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as he had done previously. But he was unable to make a national impact. The same fate will befall his national ambitions this time as well. KCR has met several prominent leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thacker, Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, and others, over the past few months. None of these leaders were, however, present in Telangana.

Any political party can dream about going national, and any political leader can fantasise about becoming India's prime minister. But under the regime of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah-led  BJP, it is crucial for opposition leaders to realise what they truly desire. If the ultimate objective is to go national and brag about their credibility in the eyes of the public, the teams' attempts to form a larger opposition coalition are absurd. KCR can only be a member of a larger opposition alliance in which Congress is the principal stakeholder. In the absence of such a political force, a central idea, a grand plan, and a unified message of an alternative, these efforts to go national are narrow and constrained.

In the absence of such a political force, a central idea, a grand plan, and a unified message of an alternative, these efforts to go national are narrow and constrained. But more importantly, such arbitrary and divided efforts will only strengthen the BJP politically and the people of India are tired of witnessing such unconstructive and redundant dreams. 

The author is a Columnist and Doctoral Research Scholar In Media & Politics.

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