Issue :   
December 2018 Edition of Power Politics is updated.         December 2018 Edition of Power Politics is updated.
Issue:December' 2018

OPPOSITION PARTIES

Aiming to oust Modi

Subhrangshu Gupta

Mamata Banerjee and Chandrababu Naidu Afresh move has been made by the opposition sparties for ousting the BJP from power. This time the initiative has been made jointly by TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee. The BJP is also not sitting idle. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah have taken the decision of firmly counteracting the campaign by the opposition parties.
Modi and Shah decided to kick-off the Lok sabha poll campaign from Kolkata and Bhubaneswar respectively.
States BJP leaders proposed that both Modi and Shah contest from these two states- from West Bengal and Odisha respectively.
The Assembly election in five different states- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Mizoram and Telenghana are being held and their results be declared on 11 December.
Naidu said these results will further expose BJP’s declining support of the people.

The BJP is also not sitting idle. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah have taken the decision of firmly counteracting the campaign of the Opposition parties.

Modi and Amit Shah The TDP leader said it was the right time that all the opposition parties should get together and unite themselves for launching massive drive against the Modi government.
He said the prime ministership could be decided on the basis of results vis-vis the performances of the respective parties.
Mamata said the prime ministership issue could be decided later and the decision should be honourable and acceptable to all.
Rahul Gandhi said he was not fighting the polls as the prime ministerial candidate.
Naidu already met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as well as Mayabati, Akhilesh Yadav and Karnataka chief minister, H D Kumarswami and his father H D Deve-Gowda and held some informal talks with them in this connection. Mamata held discussions with Dr Farouq Abdulla and CPI(m) leader Sitaram Yechuri.
Naidu will be coming to Kolkata on 19 December to hold further talks with Mamata regarding the formation of the grand alliance (Maha jotbandhan) and fighting the Lok Sabha polls against the BJP. On 22 December all the Opposition leaders will be meeting in Delhi to finalize a decision in this regard.
During his recent visit to Kolkata, Shah met the state BJP leaders and chalked out a detailed campaign programme for ousting the TMC government from power in the coming Lok sabha polls. He targeted the BJP to get at least 22 seats (total 42) from the states which will strengthen their government in the center. At present, the party has only two Lok sabha seats from the state.
Shah was confident the BJP will once again come to power under Narendra Modi’s leadership with thumping majority because of their welfare work and good governance. He asked the state BJP leaders and workers to spread the government’s welfare activities and merits of demonitisation and their drives against corruption and corrupt people during their first five-year term.
Mamata alleged that under the BJP government, the country was going to be once again divided on the basis of the religion. The RSS and the BJP were conspiring to convert India into a Hindu rastra at the cost of the country’s peace, unity and integrity. She said this heinous attempt could be stopped by the joint and united resistance of the political parties and the people.
Mamata said the TMC would organize a massive rally at Kolkata maidan on 23 January on the occasion of the Netaji’s birthday, where leaders of all the parties would be invited. She felt this could be an occasion for the Opposition parties to firmly resolve for fighting against the BJP and saving the country from destruction.