Salman Khurshid: Opposition alliance must not be for containing Congress

All the political parties are gearing up for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as neither Bharatiya Janata Party wants to loose power nor Congress wants to settle down as Opposition. However, senior leaders in Congress seem unsure of the victory in the present condition. Salman Khurshid feels Congress’ return in 2019 is difficult, as alliance with regional parties are being done in a compromising situation.

Expressing his opinion, Khurshid in an interview with PTI said, “All our leaders have made it very clear that an alliance (is needed) to change the country’s government. BJP must go. Whatever it takes to sacrifice, adjust and negotiate to make the alliance a reality, Congress is willing to do. But it is only fair that it should be the same attitude of other (opposition) parties. The alliance must not be for containing Congress, the alliance must be for removing BJP and we are willing for anything.”

Asked if Congress can come to power, Khurshid stated that with the present conditions where regional parties are pressing up their demands, opposition alliance must not be formed at the “cost of containing Congress”. He said, “If that is the objective (majority on its own) then we will have to work over a period of five years. Because you cannot work towards an alliance for three years and then suddenly say we will fight to win (on our own). You have to fight for five years. Today we are committed to the alliance and we will do our very best to ensure that the alliance succeeds.”

Khurshid said that Congress is the only party able to win seats from all over the country, while regional parties can dominate the their respective states. He said, “Now the elasticity in numbers is much greater when you are talking of seats from all over the country and when you are talking of seats only from your state. This is the practical reality with which all the leaders have to deal with an open mind.”

Speaking on the alliances’ decision to go solo in the upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the Congress parliamentarian stated, “If the participants of the grand alliance forget this objective, then obviously it won’t happen and it will be a loss for every party and the country.”

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