– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi, June 6: In the wake of the Opposition’s stunning victories in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge declared at the first INDIA bloc meeting on Wednesday that the coalition would welcome any parties committed to the ideals stated in the Preamble of the Constitution.
The meeting, held amid speculation that the INDIA bloc was reaching out to JD-U leader Nitish Kumar and TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu – who have emerged as the “kingmakers” of the 2024 elections – was attended by Opposition leaders at Kharge’s residence. Kharge emphasized that all INDIA coalition partners had fought valiantly, cohesively, and with determination.
Kharge also criticized Narendra Modi, claiming that the mandate from the people signifies a severe “moral defeat” for him. “The mandate is resoundingly against Mr. Modi, his policies, and the essence of his governance. In addition to being an obvious moral failure, it represents a significant political setback for him personally. But he is adamant on subverting the people’s will,” Kharge stated.
In his opening remarks, Kharge reiterated the INDIA bloc’s commitment to the Constitution’s values. “The INDIA bloc welcomes all parties which share its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social, and political justice,” he said.
Kharge thanked the coalition partners, saying, “I welcome all INDIA coalition partners. We fought well, fought unitedly, and resolutely.” He assured that appropriate steps would be taken to realize the people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP government. After reading out the statement adopted by all alliance constituents, Kharge did not take questions about the coalition’s next strategy, as the NDA had already started its government formation process.
The meeting also discussed whether to reach out to their old partners, Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. Kharge affirmed that the Opposition would continue to work together and uphold their promises to the people.
“The constituents of the INDIA bloc thank the people of India for their overwhelming support. The people’s mandate has been a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption, and deprivation,” he said.
“This is a mandate in defense of the Constitution of India, and against price rise, unemployment, crony capitalism, and to save democracy,” Kharge added.
Despite the BJP winning 240 seats and the Congress emerging as the second-largest party with 99 seats, the NDA holds a majority with 293 seats, thanks to the support of allies like Naidu’s TDP and Kumar’s JD(U). The INDIA bloc, holding 234 seats, still faces a challenge in forming a government.
Both the TDP and JD(U) have declared their commitment to the NDA, rejecting speculation about joining the Opposition alliance. However, sources indicate that Congress and other party leaders are attempting to persuade them to switch sides.
The meeting saw attendance from top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and K.C. Venugopal, as well as party chiefs from alliance partners like Sharad Pawar, M.K. Stalin, Sitaram Yechury, Champai Soren, Akhilesh Yadav, and Tejashwi Yadav.
Other notable attendees included Supriya Sule, T.R. Balu, Ramgopal Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee, Arvind Sawant, Sanjay Yadav, Sanjay Raut, D. Raja, Kalpana Soren, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Omar Abdullah, Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, P.K. Kunhalikutty, Jose K. Mani, Thiru Thol. Thirumavalavan, N.K. Premachandran, M.H. Jawahirullah, G. Devarajan, Thiru E.R. Eswaran, and D. Ravikumar.
