The postponement of the June 12 meeting in Patna has exposed the fault lines in the Opposition ranks as leaders and parties are playing a war of wits to carve space for protecting their own interests and ensuring that the opponents within the fold do not stray.
The meeting called by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had to be postponed due to unavailability of top leaders like Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.
Interestingly, sources said, the date was chosen even after some quarters had indicated their pre-occupations and requested a change of date. However, this section now put the blame at Nitish’s door for unilaterally going ahead with the meeting.
Nitish made it clear in Patna on Monday that he has asked the Congress to suggest a new date after consultation with other parties. “But I have made one thing very clear. All parties which agree to attend the meeting, must be represented by their respective heads,” he said.
There have been murmurs of dissent within the Opposition camp after Nitish took upon himself to meet Opposition leaders and project himself as an unofficial coordinator. Even before any discussions, he also indicated that Patna could be a meeting venue and got Mamata Banerjee to endorse it.
Congress leadership had indicated to Nitish that June 12 would not be comfortable for it, as Rahul would not be able to attend. Stalin and Yechury also indicated the same.
Sources said Stalin was deputing Kanimozhi as he could not spare senior TR Baalu while Congress indicated that it would be sending a Chief Minister and a Congress General Secretary for the meeting. Congress was subtly sending a message by informing that Kharge also will not attend the meeting.
A section in the Opposition blames the Congress for the mess. They claimed that the Congress leadership assigned Nitish to talk to some parties on his own without consulting others. Mamata also queered the pitch by asking Nitish to call the meeting in Patna, in a bid to get even with Congress.
Soon after the April 16 talks between Nitish and Congress leadership, NCP leader Sharad Pawar rushed from Mumbai to meet Kharge and Rahul, in an indication that he was not comfortable with Nitish projecting himself as a future Convenor of an Opposition grouping. Pawar, an astute politician, did not show all his cards but gave an audience to Nitish when he flew to Mumbai.
Congress, on its part, made it clear that the June 12 meeting would only be “preparatory” in nature for a future meeting. The party has Shimla in mind and a tentative date of June 23 was fixed.
However, after Nitish was persuaded to postpone the meeting, sources said, it was decided that the first meeting should happen in Patna only and if a separate venue was decided it would send a wrong signal and insult to the Bihar Chief Minister.