Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 13: Amidst strained relations between the alliance partners, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray has rushed his son Aditya Thackeray to Delhi In a bid to salvage the tottering opposition INDIA Bloc.
Thackeray junior called on the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday night and met the Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday besides meeting the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) veteran leader Sharad Pawar whose conferring an award to the chief wrecker of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, currently a deputy chief minister, has upset the Shiv Sena/
On NCP boss Sharad Pawar’s actions felicitating Eknath Shinde, the junior Thackeray refused to be drawn, telling reporters, “I will not talk about (that)… it is our (the Sena faction now led by Uddhav Thackeray) to never honour a person like this (Mr Shinde) … (who) not only split our party but also Maharashtra’s spine…”
On the INDIA bloc picture, Mr Thackeray fired a warning about the “future of India” and tried to rally the grouping, accusing the BJP of plotting to “finish off… democracy.” Mr Thackeray also raised red flags about election fraud and hacking of EVMs, or electronic voting machines, which the opposition claims – after every defeat – was orchestrated by the BJP.
“I met Rahul Gandhiji last night (and) today I will meet Arvind Kejriwalji. The future of our country is in doubt… today, we don’t know where our vote is going amid vote fraud and EVM fraud.” “Are elections being held in a free-and-fair manner? We think we are living in a democracy… but it is no longer a democracy. What happened with us and Kejriwalji and the Congress… this could happen with Nitish (Kumar)ji, and Chandrababu Naiduji in the future…” he thundered.
The reference to Nitish Kumar was not lost; the Bihar Chief Minister helped found the INDIA bloc in 2023 before a dramatic jump (back) to the BJP’s camp 12 months later. He now faces a state election later this year, and there is speculation the INDIA bloc is trying to re-flip the JDU boss.
Mr Thackeray’s reference to Nitish – that the BJP may stack the odds to ensure its ‘ally’ loses the majority, or at least the upper hand, in their relationship, is being seen by many in this light. Formed in June 2023 to unite opposition parties against the BJP, the INDIA bloc has flattered to impress, with only a few scattered Assembly election wins to show for its efforts.
The bloc has come under criticism – internal and external – with the bulk reserved for the Congress and its apparent inability to work with smaller parties on issues like seat-sharing before elections. The defeat in Haryana and the BJP’s Delhi triumph have both been held up as examples of the Congress not ‘playing nice’. The Congress, however, hit back firmly; after the AAP’s Delhi defeat, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said making other parties win was not the responsibility of the Congress.
However, questions over the INDIA bloc’s future are not new; the group’s functioning was also discussed after the 2023 Madhya Pradesh election that the BJP won comfortably. Then too there was criticism of the Congress, at which time two key group members – Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party – delivered rebukes. Since then there has also been talk of a leadership change, with Ms Banerjee the apparent consensus pick.
Mr Thackeray, though, firmly ruled out any talk of the bloc crumbling or a leadership shuffle, stating, “There are many seniors who will prepare a roadmap. The INDIA bloc has joint leadership… there is no one leader. This is not a fight of egos but for the future of the country.”
Aditya Thackeray hit out at Eknath Shinde, calling him “anti-Maharashtra” and saying those who betray the state are “anti-national.” “Those who are anti-Maharashtra are anti-nationals. We cannot honour such persons who indulge in such dirty work. This goes against our principles. I am not aware of his (Sharad Pawar’s) principles,” he said.
The Kejriwal-led AAP has accused the Congress, which failed to win a single seat for the third consecutive election, of undermining its prospects on at least 13 seats. The Maha Vikas Aghadi has been unsettled since Sharad Pawar conferred the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar on Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena in 2022 and toppled Uddhav Thackeray’s government with BJP’s backing.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP dominated the November assembly polls, winning 235 of 288 seats, while the opposition MVA managed just 50. In Delhi, BJP won 48 of 70 seats in the February 5 assembly polls, while AAP secured 22.
The crisis within MVA deepened after Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana said the party might contest the upcoming Mumbai civic polls independently, rather than as part of the coalition. A day later, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar reignited tensions, blaming the alliance’s poor performance in the assembly elections on prolonged seat-sharing talks that, he said, wasted 20 crucial days.
Adding to the discord, NCP (SP) MP Amol Kolhe remarked that Sena (UBT) and Congress had failed to coordinate effectively, leaving NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar as the only hope for the people.
