DMK out of alliance, TMC not in office, INDIA bloc eyes reset

NEW DELHI: Amid political marginalisation of its key pillars and accumulating grievances against the BJP government, opposition parties will gather on Monday for a brainstorming on the road ahead — the first such meeting beyond parliamentary coordination since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting coincides with PM Narendra Modi completing his third term in office, and amid growing dissonance among anti-BJP parties since the latest round of assembly polls.

DMK has distanced itself from the bloc after criticising Congress’s crossing over to Vijay’s TVK, while CPM is publicly slamming Congress for its Kerala campaign of accusing just-ousted Left CM Pinarayi Vijayan of being in cahoots with BJP. CPM general secretary MA Baby has written a strongly worded letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing Congress of crossing the line and asking him to “clear the air”.

Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh announced that 23 parties have confirmed their participation in the meeting to be held at the Constitution Club. He added that some parties have expressed their inability to attend “this particular meeting for their own reasons”, but they have “conveyed their strong opposition to Modi government’s policies...” — a remark seeming to allude to DMK while suggesting that the opposition still hopes that the Dravidian outfit would return to the fold in the future.

Sources said the meeting has been convened at the demand of TMC, which is facing an existential crisis with large-scale defections in favour of BJP in the West Bengal assembly and a looming split in its parliamentary party. The party will be represented by its leadership — Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.

While there is no love lost between Mamata and the INDIA bloc, the former CM’s plea for the meeting is widely viewed as a call for help. After the BJP swept away the governing TMC in Bengal, Rahul Gandhi urged a stop to rejoicing from Congress and other opposition parties who had faced TMC’s ire in the past, arguing it was time to move beyond personal animosity and focus on the “threat to democracy” posed by the BJP’s politics.

The discussions may focus on EC’s SIR of electoral rolls in Bengal, which Rahul and TMC have blamed for the poll outcome. Other issues of the opposition are also likely to come up, as the parties try to hammer out a strategy for the road ahead.

But blame games based on intra-INDIA bloc differences could make the exchanges acrimonious, given that Congress is in the crosshairs of some players.

DMK-TMC’s ouster from power in May polls has destroyed two big islands of support for the opposition. BJP gaining a firm footing in Bengal poses a serious threat to the marginalised opposition as the state sends 42 MPs to Lok Sabha, which will be critical in the outcome of the 2029 general elections. Tamil Nadu holds out hope as DMK vanquisher TVK is aligned with the bloc’s parties in the state.

Besides, the substantial parliamentary contingent of the two parties has been critical to the opposition’s efficacy in LS and RS.

Suspense over TVK’s participation

Suspense hangs over TVK’s participation in the INDIA bloc meeting, with some saying the party may not come. TN CM Vijay’s party was widely seen as the bloc’s new member, triggering excitement among constituents. A Congress MP claimed the bloc has parties which have members in Parliament. He said TVK could become part of the bloc by winning the RS vacancy in TN that is up for polls, but the seat has gone to Congress. He claimed TVK has no problem in joining the bloc, denying reports that the newbie wants to chart an independent course.