'Not Time for Whataboutery, Ego': Oppn Candidate Alva on TMC's Decision to Abstain from VP Polls

Opposition’s vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva on Friday expressed “disappointment” over the TMC’s decision to abstain from voting in the vice-presidential election and said this was not the time for “whataboutery, ego or anger”. Alva, former Rajasthan governor, reacted a day after the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress announced that the party would abstain from the upcoming VP polls, as it does not agree with the way the Opposition candidate was decided without keeping it in the loop.

Taking to Twitter, she said, “The TMC’s decision to abstain from voting in the VP election is disappointing. This isn’t the time for 'whataboutery', ego, or anger. This is the time for courage, leadership & unity. I believe, @MamataOfficial , who is the epitome of courage, will stand with the opposition.”

On Thursday, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the Opposition candidate was decided without proper consultation and deliberation with the party. “There is no question of supporting the NDA candidate, especially Jagdeep Dhankhar. In today’s meeting, TMC lawmakers unanimously decided not to take part in the vice presidential election. We disagree with the process of announcing the Opposition candidate without keeping TMC in the loop. We were neither consulted nor was anything discussed with us. So we can’t support the Opposition nominee,” said Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Opposition parties had on July 17 decided to field Alva as their joint candidate for the poll.

NDA has nominated former West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its candidate for the election scheduled to be held on August 6.

Banerjee further said that the BJP-led NDA candidate is Dhankhar, who was “completely biased” during his tenure as the West Bengal’s Governor for the last three years, and on the other, Alva was chosen without any deliberation with TMC. “Initially, it was said that Congress had called a meeting, and then the venue was shifted to NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence. A senior politician reached out to Mamata Banerjee but only after the meeting…this is not the way,” he said.

On being asked whether the Trinamool Congress’s decision would affect the Opposition unity, he said, “Opposition unity is not dependent on presidential and vice presidential elections. If you are really interested in Opposition unity, you have to rise above ego and self-interest. You can have Opposition unity through joint programmes on issues concerning the masses. But we need to change our approach.”

“As per electoral arithmetic, TMC’s decision to abstain will not help the NDA candidate. It is our right to take a decision,” he added.

(with inputs from PTI)

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