The decision of the Congress party to extend support to the Aam Aadmi Party in its quest to oppose the Ordinance curtailing Delhi Government’s control over bureaucracy is a case of pragmatic politics executed with a fine sense of timing.

First on the question of timing. The decision came on the eve of the Bengaluru Conclave which brought about a change in the attitude of the Aam Aadmi Party which was isolated after the Patna meeting. In the Patna meeting, the AAP leadership was conveyed in clear terms that its priorities cannot have the right of way. Plain speak by some leaders had turned AAP into an outlier.

With over several decades of experience in handling competing interests both within and outside the party, Congress leadership allowed the matter to cool down and eventually decided to provide comfort to AAP and those who opposed the Delhi Ordinance.

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This single move to vote against the Bill to replace the Ordinance in Parliament, prevented AAP's drifting away from the opposition camp. The long-term objective was to build a coalition of political parties opposed to the BJP and the move to regroup the National Democratic Alliance. On the tactical front, AAP staying away from the collective labour of opposition parties would have provided the BJP a potent gavel to hammer in and point about emerging cracks in the new front in the works.

Effect of the decision transformed the mood at the July 17-18 Bengaluru meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party’s Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann taking part in the deliberations. The deft handling of the situation by seasoned political leaders led to the creation of an alternate political platform, Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance. The opposition’s ranks grew in numbers.

Now on the pragmatic side. The Congress central leadership plan to be on the side of AAP in Parliament should be seen from the viewpoint of the issue in the larger political, and practical context. As the numbers stand in Parliament, the Delhi Ordinance Bill will sail through in the Lok Sabha and also get through in the Rajya Sabha too, where the BJP-led NDA government enjoys a majority.

There could have been an outside chance for the Bill to be rejected provided parties which are technically not with the ruling coalition decide to vote against it. Today the situation is that parties like the YSR Congress, Telugu Desam Party, and the Biju Janata Dal are unlikely to vote against the Bill.

In such a scenario, the Congress will not want to be either in a camp that supports or even abstains/walks out when the Bill comes up for vote. Now by backing the AAP, the Congress demonstrates the party can rise above narrow considerations. It put aside differences with a political opponent to meet the larger objective of challenging the BJP and also fight for the rights of the State governments in the country’s federal structure.

The Congress central leadership overrode strong resistance from state unit leaders in Delhi and Punjab. The likes of Ajay Maken and Pratap Singh Bajwa cannot be faulted for the stand they took. The AAP party rode into office in both these states at the expense of the Congress.

Today, more than Delhi, it is the Punjab Congress that is mounting strong opposition that confronts the Mann Government regularly on issues. The party state units have the freedom to continue with its agitational politics since the Congress did not sign any peace pact with AAP.

—The author, KV Prasad, is a senior journalist and has earlier worked with The Hindu and The Tribune. Views expressed are personal.

Read his previous articles here

(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)