NEW DELHI: The first major INDIA bloc meeting since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw several opposition allies deliver a pointed message to the Congress: be more “large-hearted” and adopt a more accommodating approach towards regional partners, news agency PTI reported, quoting sources.From the CPM’s objections to Congress’s Kerala campaign rhetoric to concerns over the DMK‘s estrangement from the alliance, the grand old party was told to show a “large heart” in dealing with regional allies, according to sources cited by news agency PTI.The discussion ended with Rahul Gandhi acknowledging the concerns and assuring allies that Congress would work to keep the coalition together. “As the biggest party here, we will have all the love and affection to unite this team,” Rahul Gandhi said, according to leaders present at the meeting, PTI reported.
Mamata’s new tone
One of the strongest interventions came from Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, whose remarks marked a significant shift from her earlier positioning within the opposition alliance.According to PTI, Banerjee urged INDIA bloc partners to avoid publicly attacking one another.“We should try not to criticise each other,” she told the gathering, according to a leader who attended the meeting.The appeal represented a notable departure for the TMC chief, who had often questioned Congress’s ability to lead the opposition and repeatedly stressed that her party was not an electoral ally of the Congress unlike the DMK.Sources told PTI that Banerjee, who has adopted a more conciliatory approach after the TMC’s defeat in West Bengal and the subsequent turmoil within her party, also called for greater engagement with civil society movements and indicated her willingness to help strengthen the alliance’s organisational structure.Before the meeting began, Banerjee and Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi held a nearly 10-minute conversation, sources said. A photograph of the two leaders embracing later emerged as one of the defining images of the meeting.
CPM targets Kerala campaign remarks
The sharpest criticism of Congress came from CPM Rajya Sabha leader John Brittas, who represented the party in the absence of general secretary MA Baby.According to PTI, Brittas raised allegations made by senior Congress leaders during the Kerala assembly election campaign that the Left Democratic Front had a tacit understanding with the BJP.He argued that Congress, as the largest constituent of the INDIA bloc, should take a broader view of national politics and not allow state-level electoral battles to undermine opposition unity.Sources told PTI that Brittas said criticism from Congress leaders was one thing, but such allegations carried greater significance when made by Rahul Gandhi, one of the principal faces of the opposition alliance.He reportedly asked what purpose was served by parties sitting together to fight the BJP if one ally simultaneously accused another of helping the ruling party.Brittas also reminded the gathering that the CPM had supported the Congress-led UPA government after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections to keep the BJP out of power and did not require any certification from Congress regarding its anti-BJP credentials.
Akhilesh’s message to Congress
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav broadened the conversation to the future of the alliance itself.According to PTI, Akhilesh stressed the need to reduce friction within the coalition and urged Congress to show a “large heart” while dealing with allies. The remark was seen as carrying significance beyond the immediate discussion, particularly with Uttar Pradesh heading towards assembly elections next year and seat-sharing talks expected to become a major issue.Sources said Akhilesh was also among those who criticised the developments that led to the DMK staying away from Monday’s meeting. He is also learnt to have echoed Brittas’s criticism of Congress’s campaign attacks on former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.Referring to West Bengal, Akhilesh Yadav argued that those who believed Mamata Banerjee had simply been defeated were mistaken, suggesting that institutional factors had played a role.“Mamata Banerjee said she was 90 per cent sure that she was robbed of the mandate. Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav said they were 40 per cent convinced. Rahul Gandhi said he was 100 per cent sure that the recent elections were stolen,” an MP who attended the nearly three-hour-long meeting said.
DMK’s shadow looms large
Although absent, the DMK was one of the most discussed subjects in the room.Several leaders expressed concern over the circumstances that led to the Tamil Nadu party distancing itself from the alliance.The DMK has accused Congress of “betrayal” after its decision to align with Vijay’s TVK following the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The issue surfaced repeatedly during the meeting, reflecting concerns that the opposition coalition could ill afford further fractures after losing key regional strongholds in recent elections.
Congress is the ‘glue’
Interestingly, even as allies criticised Congress, they simultaneously acknowledged its central role within the coalition.National Conference leader Omar Abdullah reportedly told the meeting that Congress was the “glue” holding the INDIA bloc together and that alliance partners needed to recognise that reality.According to PTI, Abdullah argued that the opposition had already achieved something significant by preventing the BJP from securing a majority on its own in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and should build on that achievement rather than dwell on recent setbacks.