NEW DELHI – As momentum builds up for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress on Tuesday played safe on the issue of prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition alliance saying the decision would depend on “how the dice falls” and who gets the numbers.
The party, in departure from the past, added another flexibility to the debate on PM face of the anti-BJP alliance acknowledging that it would be open to backing anyone so long as he/she is not supported by the RSS.
This thinking comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacking Congress president Rahul Gandhi for “lusting for power” and accusing him of being arrogant about the issue of leadership of the alliance.
Without naming Gandhi, the PM had, replying to the debate on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday, said, “The kind of mannerism and behaviour we are seeing (Rahul Gandhi’s) stems from arrogance. How someone can proclaim he will be the Prime Minister. What will happen to the aspirations of your other Opposition partners?”
A top Congress functionary said on Tuesday, “The conversation the Opposition is having now is: Let us all get together to defeat the BJP. So, for now, that is the goal. Let us see how the dice falls. It will determine who the prime ministerial candidate will be. But we want to leave as little space as possible for the BJP and the RSS to play.”
Addressing the specific issue of whether the Congress would be open to a woman candidate for prime ministership considering TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and BSP chief Mayawati are part of the anti-BJP camp, Congress sources said, “We are comfortable to seeing any PM, except someone who is RSS-backed.”
The Congress, in its effort to expand the anti-BJP alliance, toned down its stand on the critical issue of prime ministership of the anti-BJP coalition.
The party also believes UP and Bihar will boot out the BJP from power in the next General Election.
“UP and Bihar will ensure Modi does not become the PM,” said a Congress leader. “There will either be an Opposition government or a BJP government without Modi,” he added.
