New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday said a United Progressive Alliance (UPA-3) government in 2024 is “very much possible” if the Opposition parties have a common purpose, an agenda reflecting it and are ready for “give and take” when fielding candidates to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections. According to a report by news agency PTI, the former Congress leader also said that instead of a common minimum programme, the Opposition unitedly should talk about a "new vision for India".
“There needs to be give and take at the time of distribution of tickets in those states and constituencies where two or more political parties' candidates are vying for the same seat. Once these three things are agreed upon, I think UPA-3 is very much possible,” PTI quoted Sibal as saying.
Elaborating his point, Sibal said, ““For example the Congress is the real opposition to BJP in many states such as Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In these states there is no issue. Among states where there are non-Congress Opposition governments, such as in West Bengal we all know that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is the dominant partner. There will be a very few constituencies in West Bengal where there will be any kind of conflict.”
The Rajya Sabha MP further said that the grand old party’s victory in Karnataka assembly elections was an example that the BJP can be defeated. However, he cautioned against making sweeping statements for the general elections and asserted that a Lok Sabha election is fought on different grounds altogether.
His statement comes a day after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor made similar remarks and advised his party not to be complacent ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
“In 2018, we (Congress) not only came out as the single-largest party in Karnataka, but also registered victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Yet, when the Lok Sabha elections came around, BJP trounced us in these states. So, if the voters can change their mind in a matter of months between a state and national election, we must not be complacent,” PTI quoted Tharoor as saying.
Notably, Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, earlier this week, talking about Opposition unity, had said he saw no benefit coming out of it.
“Opposition unity will benefit only when there is something for both sides. There may be a difference in the share of benefits for the two — it can be 50-50 or 60-40 — but in this case, both sides have nothing to offer to the other," he said.