INDIA Bloc in Rough Water with Internal Feud Growing

After the poll debacle in Maharashtra, the INDIA bloc seems to be in rough water. Discontent amongst its constituent parties is growing. A few days back, TMC supremo and WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered to lead the opposition alliance if she is asked. Mamta’s confident remark manifests that she is not all satisfied with the alliance's functioning.

In addition, a section of the Samajwadi Party (SP) has also shown dissatisfaction, primarily over Congress. Many MPs of the party have raised their displeasure in front of Akhilesh Yadav over Congress on various issues.

When Akhilesh Yadav sought time from the Speaker and raised the issue of party MPs and MLAs being stopped from visiting Sambhal, the Congress went ahead to stage a protest against Adani outside Parliament. As Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi should have taken up the issue with the Speaker," an MP of SP was quoted to have said.

“Though Congress maintained a studied silence when SP raised the issue of Sambhal violence in Parliament, a day later Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra headed for Sambhal. What is one supposed to read here?”—The SP MP added.

Congress silence over dislodging of SP's Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad from the front row in the Lok Sabha also irked SP.

This has been raised by another SP MP—“As the face of the principal opposition party, the LoP should have objected to Prasad being allotted a chair in the second row. Or is it that the Congress wants to spare a seat for Priyanka Gandhi in the front row in the days to come?" said the SP MP.

SP functionaries think the Congress leadership was keen to lead the INDIA bloc as the ‘big brother' (and rightfully so by being the single largest party in Parliament), but seem reluctant to take the responsibility of taking the pain of keeping the flock together.

"SP has always nurtured an emotional bond with Mamata Banerjee. Our party will support and cooperate with whatever she plans to do in politics because our ideologies are well aligned with each other," said SP spokesman Udaiveer Singh suggesting that INDIA bloc constituents should discuss the West Bengal chief minister's suggestion. 

"If Mamata Banerjee has expressed any desire, the leaders of the INDIA alliance bloc should consider it and extend support to anything that strengthens the alliance. Mamata Banerjee took the lead in stopping the BJP (in West Bengal) like SP did in UP. The primary goal of the INDIA bloc is to stop BJP's win," Singh said.