Ever since the I.N.D.I.A. bloc was formed , we the common man were led to think beautifully with much optimism and ecstasy that this would be an ideal , powerful and constructive opposition against the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP). The idea got fuelled immensely after Congress secured 99 seats in 2024 General Elections. After their bloody disappointing show in 2014 and 2019 - 44 seats and 19.3% vote in 2014, 52 seats an d 19.49% votes in 2019. Cut to 2024 - 99 seats ( almost double of 2019) and 21.26% votes. After the turn around of INC in 2024 , the common man of INDIA WHO HAVE been chagrined with the radicalist right wing BJP fascist rule welcomed the change . The INDIA bloc formed in June 2023 finally started to show some promise ...
Gosh !! The optimism that was seen in May - June 2024 right after the Loksabha Elections, has given way to huge despair after the heavy defeats in state polls - Maharashtra ( to an extent foreseen) and the surprising but inevitable loss in Haryana . The whoops of excitement that sweeps through liberal quarters every now and then at some movement of opposition camp has now turned into dust ... each time , every single occasion.
Now, we are again into one of these " dust " moments .
Witness the drip-drip meltdown of Congress led INDIA bloc barely 180 days after it was hailed as future of Indian Politics following a surprising performance in LS 2024. The BJP for the first time was cut down to size and denied an outright majority on its own .
Memories of how pundits rushed to hail it as a historic breakthrough by opposition and more so by the Congress , are still fresh. It was conceived as a " ground breaking " moment and a prelude to a " reset" of political ideas which would ideally and eventually lead to BJP toning down its nationalistic ultra hinduism rhetoric.
Well known political commentators Marya Shakil and NM Mishra orated, " To say it brought about one of the most intriguing twists in Indian political scenario will be stating the obvious."
It seemed for some time after the 2024 elections that " ultra radical nationalism which peaked for a decade since 2014" was on decline .. Or it seemed so.
Both Marya and NM concluded citing their research that the mandate of June 2024 was not normal blip but a part of recurrent ground level currents where Indian Politics was once again regaining its secular footing . In " The Election that Surpised India" by Rajdeep Sardesai, he echoed a similar thought : viz. that the mood of the nation has indeed shifted from an unwavering submission to BJP branded Hindutva to good old days of diverse politics.
In 2024 Indian voters finally shrugged off the religious fervour of Ultra Hinduism that was grappling India for last 10 years and accepted the more pluralistic weight of diversifying politics which forced BJP into COALITION which was a clear rejection of the 10 years of Modi Raj - which was quite akin to Hitler's rule ..
But what has come as a huge shock and utter dismay is the thought process of all experts in Print & Electronic media as well as pundits who thought that BJP era is over. That it was on its way out and INDIA was on its way in . How wrong were they !!!
Now its seen clearly that BJP has become stronger ( again) while INDIA is on the brink. As for the Congress it seems that after being shunned by its voters, it has now been shun by its comrades in the ally after the back to back debacle in Haryana and Maharashtra .
Over the last few weeks , there have been demands for a leadership change after the TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered to take over the reins, saying that she would ensure smooth functioning .
" I had formed the INDIA bloc and now its upto those leading the front to manage it . If they cant run the show , what can I do ? I would just say that every one needs to be taken along."
Asked if she was willing to take charge of the bloc, she said : " if given the opportunity , I would ensure its smooth functioning ."
It seemed other INDIA stakeholders agree with her. There's a growing chorus of voices endorsing her claim.
Samajbadi Party (SP) extended 100% support & co operation to Banerjee . This will strengthen the alliance their spokesperson Udaiveer Singh said. Since then the chorus has been joined by NCP , Shiv Sena ( Uddhav faction), and the CPI.
EVEN the currently non relevant Lalu Yadav - leader of RJD ( Rashtriya Janata Dal) an old ally of the Gandhis was quick to fall in line. " thik hai , de dena chahiye , ham sahmat hain.( Its fine, she should be given the responsibility. We are in agreement.) " - he said. On whether the INC might object he said " It doesnt matter."
Briefly, there are 2 areas where the allies find Indian National Congress and its leadership very problematic.
Firstly , its attitude of being very high handed and temperamental. INC seems to be disregarding their partners re: coalition politics which requires collective decision making and a collegiate approach.
The close allies have accused Congress of behaving like a dictator and putting its own interest ahead of others. And all cant be wrong.
Its hallucinating defence that its the only party with a national footprint - thereby claiming leadership in all matters doesn't merit much as its real influence on ground is very marginal.
A tally of only 99 seats in LS speaks for itself - and this is Congress's best performance nationally in the last decade.
Another pet peeve of the alliance is Rahul's overt focus on some issues like Adani and caste census, while ignoring issues that concern local areas. People within INC are also mighty unhappy that local issues are being neglected - costing it majorly in local elections.
Rahul's main threat also comes from Party President Kharge who has warned Rahul against over reliance on national issues stating , " while these are imp, we musnt forget the important local issues."
As FY'25 looms, there's little to celebrate for Cong/India cheerleaders.
Hence it seems after the mighty leap of 2024 elections or so it seemed , there seems to be total disarray in the house as BJP looks to surge again after their "bad" LokSabha results. Its very critical now for Congress to mend ties with their alliances quickly or be ready to face another whole new era of ultra hindu fascism thats hovering in the country for the last decade.
