The question of who leads the India bloc has been raised anew after DMK leadership assurances and a series of proposals from political figures, including those who were with the alliance leader Congress. Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin set the stage on Monday, February 23, by introducing his father, Prime Minister M K Stalin, as the national leader.
Speaking in Coimbatore “MK Stalin is the leader who is guiding not only Tamil Nadu but the entire country. Many opposition leaders across India believe that the democratic fight against the BJP should be fought under the leadership of MK Stalin,” Udhayanidhi Stalin asserted. The remarks come as the DMK prepares for seat-sharing talks with Congress, the junior partner in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
This pressure is for MK Stalin’s national role comes on the heels of a proposal by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take the reins of the alliance.
Elections are scheduled to be held in both Tamil Nadu and West Bengal this year.
While Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the opposition and president of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge was appointed as the alliance president ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but the equations within the bloc did not remain the same.
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Recently, Sanjaya Baru, Manmohan Singh’s former media advisor, claimed that Banerjee, as a “completely self-made first-generation leader”, stands apart from her peers. “Replicating the Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh model with the Rahul Gandhi-Mallikarjun Kharge model did not help” in dealing with the BJP, Baru noted.
Emphasizing the strategic value of a female leader, he said, “An opposition alliance led by a female political leader, who also symbolizes independent femininity, can make a dent in the female vote base that the BJP has recently gained.” Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sagarika Ghose reinforced this claim, calling it ““An idea whose time has come.”
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The discussion was further complicated by the presence of the former Congressman and former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who has also thrown his weight behind the Tamil Nadu team. Aiyar said on Monday that Stalin was “best suited” to hold a meeting of the India bloc, stressing that “having a junior partner in the saddle would be a better guarantee of the unity of the alliance than a dominant partner.”
Aiyar even argued that Stalin’s leadership was essential to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s future prospects.
“Rahul Gandhi can become the Prime Minister of India, provided there is someone who spends all his time strengthening the Indian bloc,” Aiyar had earlier told news agency ANI. He added that Stalin “has the great advantage that he will not stand in the way of Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister.” According to Ayyar, with the 2029 general elections as the ultimate goal, “there is no one more suitable to lead the India bloc than MK Stalin.”
How did Congress react?
The call sparked a firestorm within Congress, which distanced itself from Aiyar and his comments, even though he did not address the leadership issue itself.
Congress Party leader Ramesh Chennithala launched a scathing attack on Aiyar, describing him as a “paid voice” who has no standing in the party. “Mani Shankar Aiyar and others like him are people whose time has ended. They have no role in this party. They are not part of this party,” Chennithala told news agency PTI.
The friction intensified after Aiyar, during a visit to Kerala, predicted that the CPI(M)-led FDF would retain power in the state against the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
Aiyar later launched personal attacks on other leaders, calling Congress MP Shashi Tharoor an “unprincipled professional” and party general secretary KC Venugopal a “rowdy” – both from the poll-bound state of Kerala.
Amidst these maneuvers, MK Stalin maintained a defiant stance against the Narendra Modi-led BJP/NDA regime. Speaking in Madurai, he claimed that the Union government “feared” the DMK because of its popular power. “The DMK is a party formed by the people and for the people… That is why there is a fear that if they touch us, Tamil Nadu will retaliate,” Stalin said.
“What more do you want from Rahul?”
Amid talk of a leadership change in the India bloc, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday rallied behind Rahul Gandhi.
Asked about the expectations of Mamata Banerjee and others, he said that no meeting has been held yet to discuss the leadership. So, I don’t know where it will be expected,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg.
The National Congress, led by Abdullah, is part of the opposition coalition.
He said that Mani Shankar Aiyar “expressed his personal opinion,” stressing that “no one can say that he does not have the right to express his opinion.” “But in the end, when the decision is taken, it will be by the India bloc. Everyone will talk together,” he added.
Omar Abdullah showed his support for Rahul Gandhi by challenging critics to define what more is expected from the Leader of the Opposition.
“He is always the only one who targets the BJP, always opposes the BJP and targets the government on every issue. This is the job of an opposition leader. What more could you want from Rahul Gandhi?” He added.
