Read more: AAP confirms no longer part of INDIA bloc, rules out future alliance with Congress
While poll-battered TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, sitting next to Sonia Gandhi after a very long time, complained about poll irregularities in West Bengal and post-poll attacks/arrests of TMC functionaries, the meeting witnessed no eager show of solidarity to her from the allies, even as the ritual of an imminent split of TMC MPs’ wing played out at a parallel meeting a few streets away.
With internal fault lines complicated by the aftermath of the recent electoral defeats of many allies, the meeting chose to release a five-point joint statement on politically correct issues: 1) a resolve to write to the Chief Justice of India against SIR and “vote loot”; 2) demanded resignation of the Union education minister over the paper leak; 3) urged the PM to convene an all-party meeting to discuss economic issues, inflation and “atrocities”; 4) stressed again the need to convene INDIA bloc meetings every second month with the next one likely in Hyderabad; 5) an affirmation that the allies will continue with floor coordination during Parliament session.
At the pre-announced post-meeting press conference of bloc leaders, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge just read out this statement and hurriedly called off the presser with all leaders leaving in a huff, lest any inconvenient questions were asked or in-house differences played out in the open.
Read more:INDIA bloc meeting: Opposition leaders seek unity, deliberate to redraw strategy
Tejashwi and Akhilesh stressing the need for Congress leadership recognising regional parties in the anti-BJP Opposition politics through better alliance coordination was seen by many participants in the light of RJD losing Bihar polls amid Congress raking up a lingering seat-sharing issue and SP’s similar concerns in the runup to the UP polls early next year.
Concerns of the regional allies are further amplified by the fact that TMC, DMK, AAP, RJD, SS-UBT, NCP-SP and Left failed to electorally retain or wrest their respective states since the formation of the INDIA bloc.
At the first INDIA bloc meeting in over two years, many lamented the exit of MK Stalin-led DMK and Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, much like the Nitish Kumar-led JDU in 2024. They felt Congress has a responsibility to retain the bloc’s unity. Of the remaining stalwarts, Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), MA Baby (CPI-M), Uddhav Thackeray (SS-UBT) and Hemant Soren (JMM) were not present. The last two and Sanjay Raut attended it online while Supriya Sule represented NCP-SP. Vijay-led TVK not joining the meeting made many wonder whether it is playing safe vis-a-vis the Centre.
While John Brittas (CPI-M), protested against top Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, accusing LDF during the Kerala poll campaign of being in league with BJP and asking why ED had not acted against the then CM Pinarayi Vijayan. D Raja of CPI said the Left’s credentials in fighting BJP can’t be questioned by the Congress leadership. Gandhi clarified his position and pointed out that Kerala’s former Marxist CM too had made statements against him during the campaign. Congress ally and RSP leader NK Premachandran reminded Left leaders that LDF had painted UDF as the B team of BJP in Kerala and therefore the UDF leaders had to retaliate.
Thackeray is learnt to have lamented the bloc’s continuing absence of a coordination mechanism and felt that given the dynamics of elections these days, the question of who would be the face of Opposition would have to be addressed in the 2029 Lok Sabha poll.
Independent MP Kapil Sibal also attended the meeting. While the organisers listed 23 participants, seven of them were allies of Congress in Kerala and Tamil Nadu while another five were minuscule one-leader parties, including RLP, BAP, SKP and LD.
