Delhi Assembly elections have effected worsening of relations between AAP and Congress as both parties belong to INDIA bloc. Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has sought direction on the future of the alliance. Abdullah, whose National Conference is part of the opposition bloc, sceptically asked what it was meant for and demanded a meeting to discuss its future after the state elections or after the 2024 general elections.
Unfortunately, no meeting of the INDIA bloc has taken place. If it was going to be limited to the Lok Sabha elections only then the alliance should be ended. But if it is to continue for state elections, we must act in unison, Abdullah said.
There has been tensions between AAP and Congress during the Delhi campaign, where Congress has accused AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal as a “deshdrohi” which was protested other bloc members. The Shiv Sena UBT’s Sanjay Raut, an MP, warned that such factionalism weakens the public faith. We have to finish I always says that it should be our fight against the BJP. Public disillusionment with such behavior may be detrimental to the credibility of the alliance,” remarked Raut.
He also criticised Congress for recently terming Kejriwal as ‘deshdrohi’. “When BJP uses such labels against Congress we protest against it. Congress must extend dignity even in the electoral competition,” Raut said.
Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of RJD, challenged the idea and restated doubts about the bloc calling it a formation to tackle the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections only. Elections are going to be interesting indeed because even TMC leader Mamata Banerjee and SP’s Akhilesh Yadav extended their support to AAP against Congress, which simply proved that the alliance was not united.
The INDIA bloc remains particularly vulnerable as divisions within it deepen, thus making its image united front against the BJP an illusion.
