Can't imagine Opposition without Congress, time for parties to shed ego: Tejashwi Yadav
Tejashwi Yadav said that the Congress had to be the base of any opposition grouping to take on the ruling BJP
FollowRashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said opposition cannot come together without the Congress and added that parties have to keep together to keep aside their egos and differences to save the country.
The Congress had to be the base of any opposition grouping to take on the ruling BJP, Tejashwi Yadav told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
"Any opposition unity effort can happen only if the Congress is part of it,” he said, adding, “There are 200 seats where Congress is in a direct fight with the BJP. But wherever regional parties are strong, they need to be in the driving seat.”
Highlighting the role of Congress in the opposition, the RJD leader also said there are at least 200 seats where the Congress and BJP are in a direct contest. He, however, added that in areas where the regional parties are strong, they should be put in the driving seat.
“We can't imagine any front without Congress. As for leadership, that is something we have to sit and decide on together,” Yadav said, and hinting at Congress to compromise he added, “Perhaps sacrifices need to be made for the sake of the country, for the greater good.”
When asked about who would lead the opposition front, Tejashwi said, "We can only know when everyone sits together. It is the people who choose their leader. We have to see who enjoys more support..."
The RJD leader's comments on the Congress contrast sharply with the dim view that his party men took after the Bihar election, in which the Tejashwi Yadav-led opposition alliance was narrowly defeated by Nitish Kumar-BJP's NDA. Though the RJD emerged as number one, the Congress's dismal performance was seen to have dragged down the opposition's tally.
When the Mahagathbandhan was made, our national president had said that like-minded parties need to come together. That is how Nitish Kumar also joined us in 2015… The Congress has been our oldest ally, whether it is at the Centre or state. We are like-minded parties. This time we also worked on bringing the Left parties on board. We wanted to build a broader alliance and give people an option, Yadav said in a conversion with The Indian Express.
In recent weeks, other Congress allies have made similar statements. NCP's Sharad Pawar had said that there could be no alternative alliance without the Congress. Echoing the view, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut had said, “Today it may be weakened, but it is still the main opposition party of the country. We have to take them along.”
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