Baby also stressed that the task before all INDIA bloc allies now is to work towards strengthening the alliance and its unity in order to defeat the Modi government in the next election, rather than complicating that cause by prematurely projecting prime ministerial candidates.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi will lead INDIA bloc in 2029 polls, says K C Venugopal amid ‘Vijay for PM’ chant by TVK
The political caveat from Baby, who heads the Left bloc that has close ties with some INDIA bloc partners, came after several senior Congress leaders, making use of some TVK leaders’ expressed desire to see Tamil Nadu CM Vijay emerge as a future PM, started asserting that Gandhi is the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 poll. “Many Opposition parties have come together and formed the INDIA bloc in order to defeat the Modi government.
We are confident of achieving that goal. But, at the same time, the INDIA bloc has not taken any decision on projecting anyone as our prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 general elections. We have not even discussed the issue. Therefore, Congress leaders talking about Rahul Gandhi being the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 election is premature and unwarranted,” Baby said when asked about the Congress pitch. His comment, incidentally, also coincides with some regional allies, who have delicate turf ties with the Congress, privately questioning the rationale and timing of the Congress’ Rahul-for-PM chants.
“Our past Opposition alliances mostly did not announce any pre-poll prime ministerial candidates. In 1977, (during the Janata Party-led national alliance), the decision was to field joint candidates in all seats, while the issue of the PM post was decided only post-poll. Similarly, when many of our Opposition alliances subsequently won elections and formed governments, decisions on the prime ministership were taken after the polls, be it in the case of Deve Gowda, IK Gujral or Manmohan Singh,” Baby said.
“Some Congress leaders are talking about Gandhi as the PM candidate perhaps because he is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. But then, Mallikarjun Kharge is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha besides being the Congress president. While the Congress may make its claim for the PM post when the INDIA bloc wins the elections, so may some other (allied) parties.
In the past, we saw some regional parties forming a conglomerate post-poll and stake a claim to form the government, leaving the Congress to extend outside support,” he said.
