The meeting of the INDIA bloc in New Delhi, on Monday, June 8, saw criticism of the Congress from several regional parties, introspection on the alliance’s functioning, and a decision to form a coordination committee and meet once every two months.
The meeting was attended by 23 parties but was boycotted by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which had made it clear that it could no longer remain part of the INDIA bloc after the Congress walked out of the alliance in Tamil Nadu.
According to sources, the DMK’s absence was raised during the meeting by Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. Akhilesh, Tejashwi, Left parties and others reminded the Congress that it must act as the “glue” holding the alliance together and avoid being competitive with regional allies.
Even before the meeting began, there was visible frustration with the Congress from several INDIA bloc allies, particularly leaders from the Left, Samajwadi Party (SP) and RJD.
Representatives pointed to recent remarks by Akhilesh Yadav, who had criticised the Congress for being parochial and not showing the large-heartedness expected of the biggest opposition party.
Tejashwi Yadav's concerns were also cited. He had accused some Congress leaders of being too accommodating towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially after Congress MLAs crossed over in Bihar.
The Bihar experience came up repeatedly. Allies argued that during the last Assembly election, Congress was more interested in maximising its own seats than in ensuring a winning alliance. They claimed the 15 seats contested by Congress hurt the coalition's prospects.
Several leaders stressed that leadership within the INDIA bloc should be determined by which party is strongest in a particular state, and not automatically default to Congress.
Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala John Brittas echoed these concerns.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leaders said they had no issue with Congress and the Left fighting each other politically in Kerala. They said leaders such as Lok Sabha MP KC Venugopal could attack them if they wished.
However, they argued that when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are the national faces of the INDIA bloc, they cannot simultaneously suggest that the Left is aligned with the BJP.
Such attacks, they argued, defeat the very purpose of the INDIA alliance.
Left leaders said they did not need certificates from Congress on their commitment to fighting the BJP.
The CPI(M) alleged that the Congress abandoned the DMK alliance merely for power. Wanting Cabinet berths is not an excuse for dumping DMK.
CPI(M) also accused Congress of inconsistency, saying it welcomed central agency action in Kerala while opposing the same agencies when they targeted Congress leaders elsewhere.
"When the National Herald case came up, we stood with you," was one of the arguments made, with allies asking Congress to maintain a consistent position on central agencies.
Several speakers, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule, reportedly criticised the manner in which the DMK was targeted.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly sought to bring the DMK more actively into the discussion as the meeting progressed.
There was a broader complaint that Congress's ideological positioning was increasingly disconnected from political realities on the ground.
Towards the end, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja backed many of the points raised by John Brittas.
Raja reportedly reminded Congress that Rahul Gandhi had campaigned in Kerala and declared that the Left was "no longer Left."
During parts of the discussion, leaders repeatedly interrupted each other. Sonia Gandhi was among the few who intervened to ask participants not to interrupt.
Rahul Gandhi responded by saying he had facts to support his position. He cited the example of the Vizhinjam port contract given to Adani as his basis for alleging that CPI(M) was compromised. Brittas shot back saying that the Adani Group's entry into Kerala had begun under the Congress government headed by Oommen Chandy (2011-2016) and that substantial progress on the Vizhinjam port project had already taken place before the LDF government took over.
Congress leaders also argued that they wanted better coordination between state-level and national-level political strategies.
During these deliberations, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah urged leaders to focus on the alliance’s achievements since its last meeting. He said the bloc had succeeded in reducing the BJP to a minority government in Parliament and could achieve more through greater coordination.
Leaders agreed that there should be closer coordination among constituent parties and decided to meet every two months.
CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the INDIA bloc had become an idea and should now evolve into an identity.
Responding to criticism and suggestions from alliance partners, Rahul Gandhi said his objective was to carry everyone along. Addressing concerns that the Congress was targeting alliance partners during elections, he reportedly said such positions were often shaped by local political compulsions.
Rahul also referred to concerns raised by allies over electoral processes. According to sources, he remarked that Tejashwi Yadav was “40% convinced” that the Bihar Assembly election had been rigged, Akhilesh Yadav was “40% convinced” that the Uttar Pradesh bypolls had been rigged, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was “90% convinced” that polls in her state had been rigged. Rahul said he was “100% convinced” that electoral manipulation had taken place.
The INDIA bloc parties will write a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) regarding serious apprehensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), alleged manipulation of the electoral rolls, and the fairness of elections.
Sources added that there was also a discussion on requesting the DMK to sign the opposition parties’ letter to the Chief Justice of India.
Leaders also voiced strong concern over the mismanagement of the education system under incumbent Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for intensifying demands to seek his resignation.
The meeting concluded with Rahul Gandhi striking a conciliatory note. He said he accepted all the blame "with love and affection" and emphasised that the INDIA bloc must remain united because collective resistance was the only way forward.