Why KCR's attempt to unite Opposition is bound to fail?

KCR is not ready to forge an alliance with Congress as the parties are rivals in Telangana, hence a larger alliance is untenable.

New Delhi, Jan 18: In a fresh bid to firm up Opposition unity, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday gave a clarion call for regime change at the Centre, by dislodging the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

By bringing in several leaders including Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, and CPI general secretary D Rajain a show of strength against the Saffron party, the BRS has taken its first steps towards joining forces with like-minded parties at the national level.

However, continuing that camaraderie till the 2024 elections appears to be a Herculean task because most of them are too ambitious and want to gobble up a too large share when it comes to national politics.

"Biharis will say Nitish Kumar, Bengalis will say Mamata Banerjee, Delhiites will say Arvind Kejriwal and South Indians will say KCR they will fight among themselves and Narendra Modi will be re-elected as prime minister in 2024," this old meme sums up the real picture of opposition unity.

Memes can be sarcastic. However, the idea of a hold-all opposition, coming together of anyone and everyone who is anti-BJP and its ideology is humanly impossible to achieve.

Even if such an alliance takes place, a harmonious merger of egos, and ambitions will only ruin the purpose of opposition.

Grand alliance without Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi?

Interstingly, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav were conspicuous by absence. Reportedly, JD(U) didn't get an invite to participate for KCR's mega anti-BJP rally in Khammam.

"I had started the idea of forming a front against the NDA. It's good to see what I had started, others are following it now," Bihar CM Nitish Kumar told reporters in Buxar.

Also, the Rashtriya Janata Dal didn't get any invitation from KCR, raising questions over the future of a possible third front ahead of 2024 polls.

Now, it remains to be seen what Nitish Kumar intends to do in this regard.

Is opposition without Congress possible?

Rao's earlier attempts to forge opposition unity failed to make headway after KCR insisted on keeping the Congress out of any front, while Nitish Kumar insisted that there cannot be opposition unity without the inclusion of Congress and Left parties.

Even Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar believes that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could bring the opposition parties together at national level.

KCR is not ready to forge an alliance with Congress as the parties are rivals in Telangana, hence a larger alliance is untenable.