Opposition alliance lacks basis, won't work: Javadekar

Amid talks of opposition unity to consolidate anti-BJP votes ahead of the 2019 general elections, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday questioned the basis for the proposed alliance and said it will not pose any threat to the BJP.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Human Resource Minister said that the proposed alliance between regional parties and the anti-BJP forces like Congress would not hold ground as it was based on the sole agenda to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power.

"It's not a threat to BJP. What is the basis for the alliance? Removing Modi from power can't be the agenda. He is a person who is selflessly working for the country in the interest of the poor. So, people are asking why he should be removed?" Javadekar told media persons here.

"There should be a reason for political alliance like this. During the Emergency (in the 70s) we got together. The reason for doing that was to re-establish democracy, to remove the press censorship and to free the judiciary of interferences. Those were valid reasons, but what is the reason now?" he said.

With a combined opposition defeating the BJP in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana Lok Sabha and in some other bypolls across the country, the Congress has decided to step up efforts to prevent division of anti-BJP votes by seeking to identify the strongest candidate in each seat in the forthcoming electoral contests.

Several senior leaders of regional parties including West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and her Telengana counterpart and Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K. Chandrashekar Rao, among others, have also advocated the need for a federal front to oust the BJP from the helm.

Referring to the development, Javadekar said the people of the country would not accept the opposition's motive of coming together against the Prime Minister only because they failed to counter him and the BJP single-handedly.

--IANS

mgr/ssp/nir