The ruckus in the INDIA block is against Rahul Gandhi and not the Congress, the Mamata factor will not last long

New Delhi: It is clear that there are very few people left in the INDIA block who support Rahul Gandhi. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s attitude also seems to be similar to that of Tejashwi Yadav, it is a different matter that he is not speaking anything openly.

Even if not as clearly as Lalu Yadav, Sharad Pawar has also made Mamata’s path easy, but the name of the Trinamool Congress leader is also being used only. It does not seem that these things will last long in the name of Mamata Banerjee. If Rahul Gandhi stops interfering or making statements against regional parties, then it does not seem that anyone will have a problem with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Congress’s Chintan Shivir was held in Rajasthan. On the last day of the Chintan Shivir held in 2022, Rahul Gandhi commented on the ideology of regional parties. In fact, Rahul Gandhi had clearly said that regional parties do not have any ideology at all. Only Congress has this capability which can fight the ideology of BJP. Rahul Gandhi had said that regional parties cannot face BJP-RSS because they do not have any ideological commitment.

JDS leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had said, ‘Congress has developed a phobia of regional parties.’ Later, Kumaraswamy had asked in his social media post, ‘Was there any ideological commitment in running the UPA 1 and UPA 2 governments led by Manmohan Singh by staying in power with DMK for ten years?’

RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha had advised that considering the members of regional parties, they should be allowed to stay in the driving seat and Congress itself should become a co-passenger. There are different reasons for Lalu Yadav being angry with Rahul Gandhi, and the motive behind creating pressure in the seat sharing in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections is also different, but most of the regional leaders are angry with Rahul Gandhi’s theory of ideology.

The initiative for the alliance in the UP assembly elections was taken by Akhilesh Yadav, and it was heard that the Samajwadi Party’s alliance with Congress broke due to displeasure with Rahul Gandhi. Who gained more and who gained less from the alliance in the 2024 general elections is a different matter, but both Congress and Samajwadi Party have benefited.

But Akhilesh Yadav seems more upset with the indifference of Congress in the Haryana elections. Anyway, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi had commented on the ideology of regional parties by taking the name of Akhilesh Yadav in such a way as if he was cursing. Rahul Gandhi also remained silent when Congress leader Kamal Nath said ‘Akhilesh-Vakhilesh’. Akhilesh Yadav must have considered it as Rahul Gandhi’s tacit consent in that as well.

Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar do not like Rahul Gandhi from the very beginning. Sharad Pawar has already expressed his opinion by telling the story of old landlords and old mansions about what he thinks about Rahul Gandhi.

Talking about Mamata Banerjee’s leadership of India Block, the leaders of the opposition camp had shown her the dream of becoming the Prime Minister in the 2019 elections as well. It included Sharad Pawar to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, but in 2021 when the same Mamata Banerjee left the Congress and came out to unite the opposition, everyone backed out. Especially Sharad Pawar.

Actually, the leaders of the opposition camp also know the limits of Mamata Banerjee, but they would not have seen any better face than her to counter Rahul Gandhi. Earlier also, only three leaders of that level were visible – Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal. Nitish Kumar has already bid farewell to the opposition camp, and Arvind Kejriwal has not yet recovered from the corruption charges after going to jail. He has also left the post of Chief Minister of Delhi.

Tejashwi Yadav still has to prove himself in Bihar, and Akhilesh Yadav has also not turned to national politics. He contests the Lok Sabha elections, wins, and then returns to the Assembly, because he is most concerned about UP.

In such a situation, it does not seem that Mamata Banerjee will be able to stay in the INDIA block for long. If Delhi elections are won, Kejriwal can again become a contender – meaning, Rahul Gandhi’s challenges may not end until the Congress shows a great performance. And this opportunity can either come in the 2026 Kerala elections, or in the next general elections in 2029.