Opposition leaders applaud Rahul

The BJP’s rout in the Hindi heartland has given a fresh lease of optimism in Opposition circles in the fight against Narendra Modi with leaders now acknowledging Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s leadership in the revival of his party’s fortune.

The Opposition leaders did not shy away from complimenting Rahul for his consistency in taking the fight to the BJP backyards and said that the victories in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will increase his stature among them.

Senior leaders in the Opposition camp had earlier been averse to deal with Rahul, saying he was junior to many of them. Many of them were dealing with UPA chairperson and his mother Sonia Gandhi and were comfortable with her prompting one of the leaders to say that: “Sonia was the glue that bound the Opposition together”.

A senior Opposition leader told DH, “We have to agree that Rahul has now cemented his place among Opposition. One should also see the way he handles them with ease. This is not the Rahul that we saw two years ago. This results will add more power to him.”

NCP chief Sharad Pawar gave credit to the Congress saying it has played an important role in giving an alternative to the BJP.

Sources said Rahul appeared “very accommodative” during the joint Opposition meeting on Monday where leaders of 21 parties had gathered. Leaders like Mamata Banerjee, M K Stalin and Arvind Kejriwal had warned against treating regional parties as junior partners.

Responding to them, sources said Rahul told them that the Congress is flexible and understands their aspirations. He even cited the Karnataka example where it gave the leadership role to the JD(S).