A day after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raised doubts about the condition of the opposition INDIA bloc, both the ruling BJP and an opposition ally responded to his remarks. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Abdullah said the alliance was “on life support” and expressed concern about its overall health at the national level.
“We’re sort of on life support, but every once in a while, somebody brings out his paddles and gives us a bit of a shock, and we get up again. But then, unfortunately, results like Bihar happen, and we slump down again, and then somebody has to wheel us into the ICU,” Abdullah had said.
BJP Hits Back With Sharp Jibe
Reacting swiftly, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain mocked the opposition alliance, claiming that it was no longer on life support but had already ceased to exist.
“Omar Abdullah doesn’t seem to realise that it’s not INDI alliance that is on life support, it is the INDI alliance that has already passed away, and even its last rites have been performed. Perhaps Omar Abdullah didn’t attend them. The INDI alliance effectively ended right after the Lok Sabha elections,” Hussain told news agency PTI.
He further argued that the coalition lacks structure and direction.
“Leaders from the Congress, NCP, and several other parties have already acknowledged this. Maybe Omar Abdullah was busy and didn’t notice it; perhaps he simply didn’t offer his condolences to the INDI alliance but he should do that. The INDI alliance has no office, no leader, no policy, and no roadmap. It was merely a grouping of people united by resentment and jealousy towards PM Modi, and it has now fallen apart piece by piece,” he added.
RJD Urges Restraint Amid ‘Adverse Circumstances’
RJD leader Manoj Jha offered a more measured response, cautioning against hasty political commentary during difficult phases.
“When there are slightly adverse circumstances, for whatever reason, some people rush to make quick comments. One should refrain from that. Everything is in the hands of the public. They decide the journey from the top to the bottom and from the bottom back to the top. So if someone is on life support, that too is part of the process,” Jha said.
He added that responsibility for the alliance’s challenges rests with all its constituent parties.
“This is not just an issue of one political party. All political parties that are part of it share the responsibility. And that responsibility does not end with making sarcastic remarks,” he said.
