2024 LS polls: No Opposition front possible without Congress, says Jairam Ramesh

No Opposition front to take on the BJP is possible without the Congress and if a coalition is formed for the 2024 general elections, the party will have a central role in it, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has said.

In a chat with news agency PTI, Ramesh, however, said it was too early to talk about all this right now as the Congress’ first priority was the upcoming elections in Karnataka and the string of state polls this year.

Remarks after SP, TMC bonhomie

Ramesh’s remarks come after both Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) saying the two parties would stay away from both the Congress and the BJP, and indicating possible talks with other regional players ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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Asked whether the move of TMC and SP could jolt Opposition unity, Ramesh said, “The TMC, Samajwadi, people keep meeting, fronts will continue to be formed, but it is necessary to have the Congress in the Opposition.”

“If an Opposition coalition is formed, the Congress will play a central role in it. No front is possible without the Congress. But it is too early to talk about this,” he told PTI. First there is an election in Karnataka, after that there are elections in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram, he noted.

“This year, we will be completely busy with state elections, we will see about 2024 elections later,” the former Union minister said. “Right now meetings will continue, positioning will continue. I will form a third front, I will form a fourth front, all this will continue,” he added.

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‘Strong Cong must for Oppn front’

Ramesh asserted that a strengthened Congress is necessary for any Opposition alliance, but the party’s priority at the moment was the Karnataka elections, followed by the elections in other states. “Our (party) president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders will work on whatever strategy has to be prepared and carry out talks with parties regarding the 2024 elections,” he said.

Asked whether the TMC staying away from protests by the Opposition on the Adani issue and the NCP not coming all out in support has dented the Opposition unity, he said, “No, I do not think so. The TMC may have its own logic, I do not want to say anything more than that.”

He said 16 political parties are united on the demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue. “The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) did not sign the letter to the director of the Enforcement Directorate, but they were with us in spirit if not in body,” he said. Asked if attempts of a third front would undermine the fight against the BJP, Ramesh said right now the Congress is focused that its demand for JPC is met.

(With Agency inputs)