As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar heads to Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, there is still no concrete sign that his Odisha counterpart and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik is willing to take the bait on Opposition unity.
A similar exercise in March by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee did not move forward with Naveen telling the media in her presence that there was no serious discussion on national politics during their meeting.
Trinamool’s exasperation found its way out to public domain when its senior leader Derek O’Brien told a public meeting on social justice called by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin that parties like BJD and YSR Congress should be there in that meeting.
“Two-three parties who do not want to fight the BJP are not here. This is not the time to sit on the fence. BJD and Naveen Patnaik ought to be here. It is not to remain in grey. It is time to be white or black,” O’Brien said on April 3, ten days after Mamata’s meeting with Naveen.
The Trinamool leader did not shy away from naming Naveen and showed that Naveen was sticking to his equi-distance to both BJP and Congress stand. Mamata’s attempt to coax Naveen did not work even after she projected her antipathy to the Congress.
Nitish’s meeting is happening against this context and it is not known whether Naveen has sent any feeler about a change in mind. Nitish, who has taken upon himself the task of bringing parties together, has already met Mamata and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
So far, the BJD has not shown any inclination to change its stand on joining any alliance – the last time it was in an alliance was in 2009 when it severed ties with the BJP. With Nitish’s efforts coming after his meeting with top Congress leadership, it is to be seen whether Naveen would have a change in mind.
Naveen is also keenly watching the developments in the Opposition with a section watching Nitish’s move with suspicion and the political drama in NCP.
Though Pawar’s resignation and subsequent withdrawal has more to do with NCP’s internal rumblings, Opposition sources said, it has also placed Pawar, one of the senior-most leaders, in contention. Pawar himself acknowledged how top Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, MK Stalin and Sitaram Yechury persuaded him to stay as party chief.
Interestingly, Mamata does not figure in this, as she continues to be sulking over Pawar declining to become Presidential candidate after indicating his willingness.