Oppn United in Cause, Divided in Agenda; Cong, CJP at Loggerheads

The and all opposition parties came together on one platform with one demand — to sack Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar — and decided to launch massive protests across the country between October 2 and 8. Though they were united in their cause, they remained divided in their agenda.

So far, there has been no joint protest anywhere. Instead, the war for credit is on. It has also brought the Congress and CJP to loggerheads, with both believing that the other is trying to indulge in “credit chori.”

Interestingly, both parties have levelled allegations against each other without directly naming one another. The Congress party does not want CJP to grow politically, as it wants Rahul Gandhi to remain the main face and voice of the youth in the country.

The Congress feels that when it supported the citizens’ movement against corruption in the past, it eventually gave rise to the AAP. It does not want to repeat the same mistake and provide CJP with an opportunity to emerge as a political party, as that could hurt its interests. Hence, the war of words between the two sides has begun.

Taking a dig at the Congress party, CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka said, “The self-styled ecosystem thinks it is the protector of democracy and was trying to defeat Abhijit Dipke.” Another member, Saurav Das, said they were “self-declared thekedars of the Constitution. Their failures led us to this situation where they had to hit the streets. Total buffoons,” he remarked.

The Congress party, on the other hand, reacted by asking them to stop the “false charade.” Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh said that it was the Congress party that helped the CJP when its leaders were detained in Assam, though Ashutosh Ranka refused to meet Congress MPs, including Gaurav Gogoi.

He said, “You told us this is a Congress initiative. So stop making false allegations,” he added.

It may be recalled that the Congress party did not join the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar on the NEET issue, but Rahul Gandhi later led a protest near the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party has maintained its distance from CJP throughout.