Questions are being raised on the leadership of the Congress within the opposition INDIA alliance after its defeat in the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections. Uddhav Sena has given advice to Congress through an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ on the decreasing communication and lack of direction in the alliance. Uddhav Sena has said that the atmosphere of INDIA alliance has become cold, and if this continues then it should be dissolved after the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Highlights of the editorial
- Problem of lack of communication:
Uddhav Sena said that Congress is not able to increase dialogue in the alliance. Jammu and Kashmir’s Omar Abdullah has also expressed concern saying that if such conditions continue in the alliance, then it has no future. - Comparison of NDA:
Citing the example of the NDA alliance during the era of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani, it was said in Saamna that at that time the NDA had a strong coordinator and better coordination. Leaders like Pramod Mahajan and George Fernandes used to go personally to communicate with state level parties. - Rahul Gandhi and Congress leadership:
Praising Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the editorial said that the visit has had a positive impact. Also, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi were appreciated for being active. But the question was raised as to who would take the responsibility of keeping the alliance stable. - Dispute between Aam Aadmi Party and Congress:
Questions were also raised over the failure of an alliance between AAP and Congress in Delhi. Uddhav Sena, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee have supported Arvind Kejriwal, while dissatisfaction with Congress is increasing. - Demand to change alliance leadership:
After the defeat in Maharashtra and Haryana, there is a demand within the INDIA alliance to remove Congress from the driving seat. Some parties are advocating to make some other leader the face of the alliance.
Is the future of the INDIA alliance in danger?
It was written in Saamana that unity and better leadership is needed to keep the alliance strong. If communication and coordination does not improve, its impact may be clearly visible in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
It is noteworthy that Uddhav Sena has given this advice at a time when it itself has said many times that it will contest the civic elections alone. In such a situation, the future of the alliance depends on leadership and mutual coordination.
