Will Mahua Moitra’s expulsion unite I.N.D.I.A?

The I.N.D.I.A alliance came together in Mahua Moitra’s name on December 8, and hopefully will find the method and purpose to fight in the 2024 general elections.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra, arguably the most effective woman MP in the 17th Lok Sabha, was expelled from the House on December 8. A Parliamentary Ethics Committee that took the decision (which was split 6-4 among its 10 members) found her guilty of sharing her Lok Sabha log-in credentials, and allegedly accepting gifts for asking questions in Parliament.

She had walked out of the committee, saying the questions fielded at her were sexist and it was a “vastaharan” (disrobing). The 49-year-old MP left Parliament looking quite radiant, ready she said for the Mahabharata that is to follow. Moitra was never allowed to question those who made the charges against her. The focus of her speeches in the House overwhelmingly tended to be businessman Gautam Adani.

What followed her expulsion is interesting. The I.N.D.I.A alliance had appeared to be imploding after the defeat of the Congress in three state elections where it was pitted against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But Moitra’s expulsion gave the alliance an occasion to come together in Parliament. At least for a photo op for now.

This attack on Moitra follows the fate met by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi earlier this year during the Budget session of Parliament after a Gujarat court gave him the maximum two-year term for allegedly defaming the surname ‘Modi’ by asking why corrupt individuals (such as businessmen who fled India, Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi) had a certain surname. As a convicted member Gandhi was swiftly disqualified as MP. His parliamentary membership would be restored after the Supreme Court suspended his conviction for defamation.

What happened in the first and last sessions of Parliament is being seen by the political class as circumstantial evidence that naming a certain businessman invites retribution as Gandhi too had harped on Adani after the publication of the damning Hindenburg report.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the entire Opposition were in the frame as Moitra dramatically walked out of Parliament and spoke to the media. So, is Moitra’s expulsion a catalyst for the Opposition to unite once more, or was it just an ephemeral moment?

For, ever since the state election results were declared on December 3, the Opposition had looked very fragmented. Many strong statements came from regional parties about the Congress’ unwillingness to share seats or campaign jointly in for the polls.

Indeed, ever since the I.N.D.I.A alliance was formed, there has been one fundamental fault line running through it: The Congress was determined to go it alone in all the states as it felt a need to improve its bargaining power vis-a-vis the regional parties. Now, that the Congress has failed to do so, the regional players may have better bargaining ground when engaging with the national party, but there can be little doubt that brand I.N.D.I.A has taken a beating.

The irony here is that earlier the regional parties were complaining that the Congress was losing crucial time in preparing for the 2024 contest against the BJP by refusing to discuss the modalities of seat sharing till the assembly polls were over. Now, these regional parties are precisely doing that.

At the very least, a start can be made in the state’s where the Congress is in alliance with the ruling parties, such as in Bihar and Tamil Nadu. In Maharashtra, the Congress is an ally of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), both political parties where factions have split and joined the BJP to form the government. Given that Maharashtra sends the second-largest contingent of MPs to Parliament, there is every good reason to allot constituencies to candidates and start the ground preparation.

Yet, another consequence of the election results is that some parties in the opposition space could also be examining new working (and survival) arrangements in a polity dominated by the Narendra Modi-led BJP.

Still, there are various efforts being made within the I.N.D.I.A alliance to stay together. Reportedly, a senior Left leader has been calling various constituents to suggest that they accept Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the convenor on the grounds that he did initiate the alliance, besides releasing the caste census in his state. The Left would also prefer Kumar over West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, with whom the comrades have a bitter history.

The spiral of contradictions reappears in Kerala where the ruling Left has been suggesting that Rahul Gandhi contest from outside Kerala. It is highly unlikely that the Congress or Rahul Gandhi would give up on the sylvan climes of Kerala which is far from the Hindi heartland — where the Congress has just been beaten by the BJP.

When it comes to the Lok Sabha elections, the regional parties have a better record of defeating the BJP. That said, it’s worth reminding that in the complicated matrix of Indian politics, the Congress won in Telangana by squarely defeating a powerful regional party.

Moitra has made certain mistakes, but she has shown the character for a fight. The opposition parties came together in her name on December 8, and hopefully will find the method and purpose to still fight in the 2024 general elections.

Saba Naqvi is a journalist and author.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH).