Ram Mandir could be factor in Lok Sabha polls, but time will tell if it would be ‘decisive’: Chidambaram

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday (February 16) said that the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya could be a factor in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections but only time will tell if it will be a “decisive one”. The Congress leader also hit out at the BJP and said that the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power would cause an “existential crisis to state-specific regional parties”. Ram Mandir was inaugurated on January 22 in a historic event in Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla.

“I cannot say anything about the future of the bloc because I’m not part of the national alliance’s negotiating committee and also not part of INDIA bloc meetings. My information is only secondhand or even thirdhand. But I sincerely hope that all the remaining parties understand that the return of Mr Modi and the BJP to the Centre will cause an existential crisis to the state-specific regional parties,” Chidambaram said.

The veteran Congressman was recently in Kolkata for a discussion on his new book ‘The Watershed Year-Which Way Will India Go?’.

Chidambaram said that the Congress is attempting to forge an alliance with the political parties which are stable and deep-rooted.

He drew parallels to the alliance of the BJP and called it “a gunshot marriage”, which is formed by splitting other parties.

“BJP’s coalition is formed by splitting parties. Its main partners are one faction of the erstwhile NCP, one faction of the erstwhile Shiv Sena, and possibly a faction of the AIADMK. It hijacked the JDU, although it’s possible that some members may desert Nitish Kumar…BJP is not allying with stable political parties,” he alleged.

“Their alliance is what I would call a gunshot marriage. You hold a gun and force someone to ally whereas Congress’ effort is to forge a more substantive alliance between parties which respect each other and are willing to give and take with each other. Congress is attempting to forge the INDIA alliance with stable deep-rooted political parties like the TMC, DMK, SP, and RJD. Therefore there is a qualitative difference,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)

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