Even before the Lok Sabha election, I.N.D.I. Alliance’s disruption has become a major tension for the ‘well-wishers’ of the opposition bloc, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi roared ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’ in the Parliament. On Tuesday (6th February), propagandist Ajit Anjum and ‘Duggal Sahab’ of political activism Yogendra Yadav (Salim) ‘analysed’ PM Modi’s claim that NDA will cross 400 seat mark in the coming Lok Sabha elections as well as challenges before the opposition bloc.
Yogendra Yadav said that Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury should not raise his voice over law and order and corruption issues in West Bengal since Trinamool Congress (TMC) is in power there which happens to be a member of the INDI Alliance. Yadav said that Chowdhury repeatedly violated the ‘Maryada’ of a political alliance.
While discussing Mamata Banerjee’s recent announcement snapping ties with the I.N.D.I. bloc and attacking Congress, Ajit Anjum asked what went wrong between TMC and Congress. He also claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s scathing attack on the Congress party seemed more like a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
Yogendra Yadav says:
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) February 6, 2024
There's corruption in Bengal but Adhir Ranjan shld not demand ED/CBI investigation bcz TMC is in INDI Alliance
There is bad law and order but Adhir Ranjan is wrong to demand President rule.
Calls it 'Maryada' pic.twitter.com/mImgl98Y6w
In response, the ‘protestor of all seasons’ said, “When the I.N.D.I. Alliance was formed, and after that, there had to be a certain ‘Maryada’, a limit beyond which the alliance partners would not attack each other. I felt that Congress in Bengal under Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s leadership violated that ‘Maryada’ several times. For instance, he [Chowdhury] said that President’s rule should be imposed in West Bengal. You’re asking the BJP government in the Centre to come and dismiss an elected government that too of my alliance partner. This is not in line with the Maryada.”
Yogendra Yadav went on to say that the Congress party was wrong in raising its voice against the alleged corruption of the TMC government in the state saying that the party should have maintained ‘Maryada’ since TMC was an alliance partner. “There were allegations of corruption levelled by Congress which is fine coming from an opposition party, but Congress went a step ahead and said that there should be CBI and ED raids against TMC leaders. Even I had differences with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but when Manish Sisodia was arrested I said that his arrest was political revenge. So this should have been Congress’s role here…” Yadav said.
Notably, the Enforcement Directorate has conducted raids at locations linked to several TMC leaders in connection with corruption allegations. It is pertinent to note that TMC leaders have been accused of various scams including cash-for-query scam, public distribution system scam, cattle smuggling scam, and Teacher SSC recruitment scam among others.
TMC vs Congress: INDI Alliance falling apart even before facing mammoth Modi challenge
Congress and TMC have never been on the same page in West Bengal. However, the Modi hate and challenge to defeat him in the elections brought the two parties together, at least on the face of it. The two anti-Modi parties could not retain their ‘partnership’ for long with Mamata Banerjee on 24th January 2024 announcing that her party will so solo into the coming Lok Sabha elections. While announcing TMC’s exit from INDI Alliance, Banerjee said, “Will fight LS polls alone. I had no discussions with the Congress party. I have always said that in Bengal, we will fight alone. I am not concerned about what will be done in the country but we are a secular party and in Bengal, we will alone defeat BJP. She had also alleged that despite suggesting the name ‘INDIA’ for the opposition bloc, she did not get the respect she deserved in the alliance.
Later on 2nd February, the TMC supremo again came down heavily on the Congress party and said that there is no guarantee that Congress can win 40 seats in Lok Sabha. Interestingly, while her own party has been known for Muslim appeasement, CM Banerjee accused Congress of appeasing Muslims in the state. “We had told the Congress party to fight 300 seats alone and give the remaining 243 seats to other regional parties to contest wherever they are strong. We had asked the Congress party not to be over-smart. But they first came for Bengal. Like the BJP is appeasing Hindus, the Congress is trying to appease Muslims in Bengal. We are being sidelined despite being representative of all communities,” Banerjee said. She further challenged the Congress party by saying “If you have the courage, they defeat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad, Benaras, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.”
Prior to this, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had called Mamata Banerjee an ‘opportunist’ amidst reports that TMC is unwilling to share seats with Congress.
Yogendra Yadav gives up on INDI Alliance defeating BJP
Interestingly, in the same conversation with Ajit Anjum, Yogendra Yadav said that BJP can be stopped before 272 seats if the INDI Alliance fights unitedly even though elections are just two months away. He said that by working together INDI Alliance can take at least 30 seats away from BJP to stop it at 272 seats.
Yadav, however, admits that there are high chances of BJP winning, but says even confining the BJP to 272 would be a big and significant feat since somehow ‘constitution’ is at stake in the coming Lok Sabha election. He says that if BJP and NDA are limited to 272-73 and come to power by taking support from YSRCP, Naveen Patnaik, KCR etc, then the character of that government would be different but if BJP NDA achieve their “Abki baar 400 paar” ambition then the character would be different and harm constitution.
In addition to a lack of mutual respect and trust as well as consensus over prime ministerial candidate, seat sharing has also been a major point of contention among the I.N.D.I. Alliance parties, as evidenced by the Madhya Pradesh elections last year, when the Samajwadi Party openly criticised Congress for not giving the party enough seats, with SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav calling Congress a “Chalu” party and wishing for its defeat.
Congress party which earlier was playing the self-appointed ‘big brother’ role in the INDI Alliance boasting its “national party” status has been pushed on the backfoot, especially after its recent defeats in the Hindi heartland. Other than TMC in Bengal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also refused to share seats with the Congress party. On 17th December 2023, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal expressed his desire to contest all thirteen Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and one Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.
With key opposition players switching sides, including JDU leader Nitish Kumar, and the TMC severing ties with the INDI Alliance, the anti-Modi ecosystem is desperate for a miracle that will ‘overthrow’ Narendra Modi from power. However, the dismal standing of the INDI Alliance and the NDA’s dominant position makes it appear almost impossible.
