On Friday, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav appeared to direct an indirect criticism of Congress after the party’s dramatic political shift in Tamil Nadu raised new questions about the stability of the Indian bloc.
Sharing a photo from his recent meeting with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and another photo with DMK’s MK Stalin, Yadav posted on social media: “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty.”
Although he did not name any party, the timing of the statement quickly caught attention in political circles, especially after the Congress pulled out of its long-standing alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and extended support to actor-politician TVK Vijay.
Akhilesh Yadav’s post also came just a day after he met Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata following the Trinamool Congress setback in West Bengal. The meeting was considered part of the opposition’s broader efforts to reevaluate the strategy after the recent loss in the House of Representatives elections.
Congress’ move shakes the opposition’s equations
The Congress on Wednesday announced its support for Vijay’s party in a surprise move that effectively ended its alliance with the DMK, a partner it had been with for years in Tamil Nadu politics.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee said it would support the formation of a TVK-led government and “share the responsibility of governance”.
The DMK, shaken by the move, accused the Congress of stabbing the alliance in the back at a crucial moment.
The April 23 General Assembly elections resulted in a pending mandate, with TVK emerging as the largest single party after winning 108 seats in the 234-member House of Representatives. The five Congress MLAs have now taken the TVK-led alliance to 112 seats, still six short of the majority mark of 118 seats.
The unity of India’s bloc is in doubt
Akhilesh’s comments increased speculation about whether the Indian alliance has begun to witness internal tensions after a series of electoral setbacks.
Interestingly, while Mamata Banerjee has spoken of strengthening opposition unity despite the TMC’s poor performance in Bengal, the Congress’ decision in Tamil Nadu has sparked discomfort among some allies who see it as a sign of political unpredictability within the bloc.
The BJP says the opposition alliance will collapse
The BJP did not waste much time in targeting the opposition alliance over the developments.
“I make a prediction: Just wait a few weeks, the Indi alliance will be destroyed. We have information from sources that the Indi alliance will disintegrate,” Sambit Patra, a BJP MP, said on Wednesday, PTI reported.
He also targeted Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee, accusing the opposition leaders of showing unity only after suffering electoral defeats.
“This is the height of frustration… Look at all the INDI alliance leaders – Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee – they have all come together. When they have to come together to fight elections, they do not come together and continue to contest separately. But after losing, they all come together,” he said.
Currently, no ally in the India bloc has publicly questioned the future of the alliance.
