Rahul Emerges as Oppn’s Main Challenger
Rahul Gandhi also spoke to Mamata Banerjee and Stalin after their defeats in the recently concluded polls
New Delhi: With the DMK deciding to boycott the I.N.D.I.A. bloc meeting on June 8 and the Trinamul Congress facing an existential crisis, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appears to be emerging as the main challenger to the Modi-led NDA.
At present, the Congress is in power in four states — Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala — and is allied with the ruling JMM in Trinamul Congress and the TVK in Tamil Nadu.
While the DMK has decided to stay away from the I.N.D.I.A. bloc meeting, other Opposition parties expected to attend include the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Shiv Sena (UBT), Trinamul Congress and the Left parties.
Meanwhile, CPM general secretary M.A. Baby has sought clarification from the Congress over claims made by some of its leaders during the Kerala Assembly election campaign that the Left party had an understanding with the BJP.
According to sources, Baby wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, strongly criticising the Congress for its attacks on the CPM. Copies of the letter were also sent to other I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners.
An Opposition leader who received the letter said Baby argued that the allegations, repeatedly made by senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Kharge himself, went beyond routine electoral rhetoric and struck at the basis of the Opposition alliance formed to jointly take on the BJP.
Even as it raised the issue, the CPM reiterated its commitment to Opposition coordination. Baby said the party would continue to work with I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners and other Opposition parties inside Parliament to resist what he described as the Modi government’s “authoritarian, communal and anti-people policies”.
Earlier, in a bid to ensure Opposition unity, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav travelled to Kolkata and Chennai to meet Mamata Banerjee and M.K. Stalin. He also extended support to both parties.
Rahul Gandhi also spoke to Mamata Banerjee and Stalin after their defeats in the recently concluded polls. Opposition parties are keen to establish a working relationship between the two sides so that the Opposition camp remains united during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.
The crucial meeting is expected to chart the course of Opposition politics after the electoral rout in Bengal. It will be held at Constitution Club in New Delhi.