At least five political parties which are neither backing the ruling BJP nor are fence sitters in the current political scenario, stayed away from a meeting called by the Congress party for floor coordination during the winter session of Parliament that began Monday.
They are : the Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, AAP, Janata Dal (S) and the JMM besides the Mamata Banerjee led All India Trinamool Congress which had already said that it would not attend the meeting.
Shiv Sena leader and sitting Lok Sabha member Vinayak Raut said when contacted that his party was not invited for the meeting called at the initiative of senior Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.T he Congress party shares power with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and this exclusion was a surprise. Interetingly, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ,another ally of the Congress and its ruling partner in Jharkhand too was not seen at the meeting.
The Congress said as many as 11 parties attended the meeting. They are : The DMK,NCP,CPM , CPI, RJD, IUML, ,MDMK, Lok Janata Dal, NC,RSP besides the Congress.
The YSR Congress Party, the Biju Janata Dal, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti ruling Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana respectively are seen as the 'friendly parties ‘ of the BJP and the government.
Tthe Mayawati led BSP and the Telugu Desam Party have yet to take a position while the Shiromani Akali Dal ,which quit the NDA and the union cabinet on the farmers issues especially on the three farm laws, has been maintaining equi distance from the BJP led NDA and the Congress led UPA.
Though impending assembly polls in five states could be one of the factors behind the visible divisions in the opposition ,the YSR Congress Party, the TRS and the TDP cannot afford to ally with the Congress as the latter’s revival could weaken them in Andhra Pradesh.
On the other hand the Biju Janata Dal has been consistent in opposing the Congress although the BJP has emerged as number two in Odisha and thus is the main opponent to it in the state.
The main opposition Congress party is trying to play a lead role in bringing the Opposition together but its hegemony is not finding favour with key regional parties. Sources said that the Congress eagerness to take on the leader's mantle could send a wrong message to political constituencies of the Samajwadi Party, the AAP and the Trinamool Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.
In Maharashtra, the Congress remains cautious about the Shiv Sena despite sharing power with it for the last two years.The Maha Vikas Agadhi comprising the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress emerged as an alternative to the BJP in the state.