- Opposition INDIA bloc leaders met in Delhi to strategize.
- Mamata Banerjee alleged Election Commission favored BJP in Bengal.
- Internal disagreements arose, Left leaders questioned Congress’s Kerala campaign.
- DMK boycotted the meeting after alliance breakdown with Congress.
Senior leaders of the INDIA bloc converged at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Sunday for a key meeting of the opposition alliance, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening coordination against the BJP even as differences among constituent parties continue to surface.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee were among the prominent leaders attending the meeting.
Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised the issue of alleged electoral irregularities in the West Bengal Assembly elections during the INDIA bloc meeting, sources said.
According to sources present at the meeting, Banerjee claimed that the BJP benefited from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and alleged that the Election Commission’s actions had favoured the ruling party in the state.
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Top Opposition Leaders Attend Meeting
Mamata Banerjee arrived at the venue along with Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav also joined the discussions.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya and other Left leaders were also present.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray participated virtually.
However, the DMK stayed away from the meeting following the breakdown of its long-standing alliance with the Congress after the latter aligned with Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu. VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan and RSP MP N K Premachandran attended the gathering.
Venugopal Targets BJP
Speaking to reporters before the meeting, KC Venugopal claimed that the BJP was uneasy about the opposition’s efforts to unite.
“You understand how scared the BJP is of this meeting,” he said.
When asked about posters critical of Rahul Gandhi that reportedly appeared at various locations in Delhi, Venugopal dismissed the issue, saying, “I don’t see any posters.”
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Internal Differences Likely To Figure In Talks
While the alliance was formed to present a united challenge to the BJP, internal disagreements among partners are expected to be raised during the discussions.
CPI General Secretary D Raja said Left parties would flag concerns over remarks made by Congress leaders during the Kerala Assembly election campaign.
“One of the issues is that the national-level Congress leaders questioned the integrity of the Left during the Keralam elections, ‘the Left has an alliance with the BJP’. Such things cannot be accepted; there has to be a mutual trust. In the absence of mutual respect and trust, how can we build a united movement?” Raja said.
“The INDIA bloc is a united front which was formed with a common resolve, ‘Desh Bachao, BJP Hatao’. What are we doing to save the nation and defeat the BJP? We will discuss that,” he added.
Opposition Unity Under Spotlight
The CPI(M) has also conveyed its concerns to the Congress regarding what it described as a “systematic campaign” against its leadership during the Kerala elections, though the party decided to participate in the meeting.
According to senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, representatives of 23 political parties are attending the gathering.
Despite reports of friction within the alliance, Ramesh maintained that opposition parties remain united and committed to working together against the BJP.
The meeting comes at a significant juncture for the opposition, particularly after recent electoral setbacks and amid efforts to evolve a common strategy against the ruling BJP ahead of upcoming political contests.
