New Delhi: In a bid to thwart a complete wash out of the Congress party after the election results are out, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, has called upon opposition party leaders for a meeting.
Reports say that Sonia Gandhi has stepped into action to protect the Congress’s prospects in a post poll scenario. The meeting is scheduled on 21, 22, or 23 of May according to the availability of the opposition leaders of different political parties. DMK has confirmed that it has received the invitation. Janata Dal (S) leader Dev Gowda also said that he will meet with Sonia Gandhi on 23 May.
Sonia Gandhi is trying a last bid effort to unite the opposition against the juggernaut of BJP. She has also extended her invite to non-UPA parties such as BJD and TRS in an attempt to keep the NDA at bay or at best to form a united opposition in Parliament once NDA comes into power.
The former Congress President’s sudden appearance on the election scene has betrayed the party’s panic at a complete defeat similar to what happened in 2014. If the grand old party’s seat count falls short, then it would mean that it will be sidelined by other regional parties who are vying for increased role in national politics.
The mood of the nation is swinging in Narendra Modi’s favour and the Congress wants to be seen as the only force left to oppose a second NDA term. Otherwise, the party will lose its role in national party and must play second fiddle to regional parties.
Interestingly, Congress President, Rahul Gandhi, is not part of the last ditch effort to salvage Congress by his mother. Sonia Gandhi has entrusted the job to senior party leaders such as Ahmed Patel, P. Chidambaran, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Ashok Gehlot.
It is evident that Sonia Gandhi has realized that her son has failed to raise the winnability of the party. Rahul Gandhi also failed to bring a grand unification of opposition parties as many had expected. Major regional parties like SP and BSP has kept the Congress at bay. The grand old party could not also stitch an alliance with AAP which was also on the cards before the election race began.
Rahul Gandhi’s campaign trail also fell hollow and his continuous attack on the Prime Minister began to lose sheen. In contradiction, Narendra Modi emerged stronger during the election campaign. His successful handling of the Balakot attack and the ensuing capture and release of Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman gave ample proof of Narendra Modi’s diplomatic and leadership skills.
The appearance of Sonia Gandhi at the last moment is testimony to the utter failure of the present Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Maybe her effort to reach out to other parties will help the party save its face from being sidelined in a post poll alliance of major opposition parties.
