Agencies
At the recent plenary of the Congress, Navjot Singh Sidhu asked Rahul Gandhi to be ready to hoist the Tricolour at Red Fort. In case the Congress president took Sidhu seriously, he should be watching the evolving politics of Mamata Banerjee carefully, because she seems to have her own mind made up about who should be flying the flag next year.
Mamata is in Delhi on Tuesday to weave together an anti-BJP alliance. She has indicated her willingness to meet all like-minded leaders. Except, of course, the Congress president. The West Bengal chief minister has said she is ready to meet Sonia Gandhi, in case the Congress matriarch has recovered from her recent illness. The Congress could be happy about Mamata's overt anti-BJP crusade. But it should be wary also of her covert anti-Rahulism. It is apparent that Mamata is practicing in public what many other Opposition leaders believe in private: The reluctance to accept Rahul as the next prime minister.
During the past few weeks, Banerjee has emerged as an important player in national politics. She has gone out of her way to meet leaders from the North and South in a bid to put together a federal front against the BJP. Indicating that being anti-BJP is her only ideology, she has parleyed with leaders of parties as disparate as the Shiv Sena, Telangana Rashtra Samiti and Aam Aadmi Party. Her stance shows acceptance for anybody ready to take on the BJP.
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