Congress has to be at centre of coalition that takes on BJP in 2024: Kapil Sibal

The Congress has to be at the centre of any coalition that would take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections and all Opposition parties should be more mindful of sensitivities as well as be circumspect in criticising each others ideologies in order to build a strong alliance Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said on SundaySibal a prominent voice in the Opposition ranks gave a clarion call to all political parties opposed to the BJPled government to first find a common platform which he said could also be his newlylaunched Insaaf platform for fighting injusticeIn an interview with PTI the former Union minister said the leadership question of an Opposition coalition for 2024 need not be answered at this stage and also cited the example of 2004 when the incumbent Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was voted out of power despite the Opposition not having a declared faceHe asserted that the Congress certainly has to be the fulcrum and at the centre of any coalition of Opposition parties that will take on the BJP in 2024Asked if the Nationalist Congress Party NCP supremo Sharad Pawars statement backing the Adani Group which is facing allegations jolted Opposition unity Sibal said If you narrow down issues then you will have differences among political parties If you have a broad collaborative platform which does not deal with narrow issues the possibility of consensus is much greaterAlso Read Rich get richer poor get poorer Kapil Sibal on PMs social justice remarksIf Rahul Gandhi has a point of view in the context of crony capitalism in India I think Sharad Pawar ji would not be averse to a platform relating to crony capitalism that subsumes individuals So what we need is to have these broad platforms on the basis of which we can ensure that the Opposition is united he saidHe said the moment issues are narrowed down problems arise and gave the example of parties having different points of view on a particular legislationYou should allow different parties to have different views We should allow Rahul Gandhi to have a view on an individual and Sharad Pawar also have his point of view That should not be an example of disunity said Sibal who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2 and quit the Congress in May last yearSibal who was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Partys support recently floated a nonelectoral platform Insaaf aimed at fighting injusticeOpposition unity will come about only when we have a broad consensus and a platform that elucidates broad issues of that consensus he saidSibal said his message to Opposition parties would be that the bottom line is that great injustices social economic and political are being perpetrated in this country by the diktats of this governmentIn fact the entire Constitution is a narrative of how to achieve justice So the fight against injustice can be a common platform he saidOn whether his newlyfloated platform could provide what the Opposition needs Sibal said could be but added that a lot of work needs to be done to bring all political parties on that platformAsked if it was practical that the Opposition parties of diverse backgrounds come together and cede parliamentary seats to each other to take on the BJP jointly in 2024 Sibal said parties have to be more generous more circumspect in criticising each others ideologies and have to realise that wherever they are weak they should allow the dominant partner to have a sayOn the strengthened Opposition unity during the second half of the budget session especially after the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha Sibal said as far as the joint protests in Parliament are concerned that by itself is not a reflection of Opposition unityAs far as Opposition unity is concerned this is the first step We need political parties to be more generous to each other and allow space for each other to have their own ideological moorings but at the same time get together to fight a government which is hell bent on silencing the people of India and converting this socalled democracy into an autocratic country he saidSibal said having a common minimum programme for a united Opposition was a tall order and it would be decided only a few months before the general electionsOn whether the Adani issue and the caste census be the main planks for the Opposition going forward towards 2024 Sibal said he cannot suggest that as he is just an independent member of ParliamentI think the caste census issue is a big issue It is a big issue in many states in particular northern India but whether that will be a unifying factor or whether that will be projected as a national issue I cannot possibly say he addedOn the Adani matter Sibal said the issue is not about A B or C it is how the state and big conglomerates are collaborating with each other to control resources media centres of power and along with that the central agenciesRebutting Prime Minister Narendra Modis charge that the Opposition is coming together as they are afraid of his governments anticorruption crusade he asked if the Centre was so concerned about graft why did it not appoint a Lokpal for five years after coming to powerWhy has the Lokpal been inactive and not investigated anybody in government he askedIs it the premise of our dear prime minister that nobody in government in any BJPruled states and in the central government can ever be charged for corruption and that each one of them is as white as snow Sibal askedHe also questioned the prime minister as to why ongoing investigations against those joining the BJP stoppedWhy is it that the map of India has been divided into two parts wherever there are BJPruled states the CBI has no access to while in the Oppositionruled states they have complete access Sibal saidThis narrative of the prime minister is based on a weak premise he assertedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability 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