Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray praised new outfit founder Abhijit Dipke’s 'Marathi roots' and maintained that while there is a space for dissent, it is now being filled by the CJP.
The remark from Uddhav came at the Opposition parties' meeting in New Delhi on Monday. Generally anchored by the Congress - being the principal and the largest opposition party; the INDI-alliance meeting also saw "criticism" of the combine's functioning style in multiple manners.
The faultline - well known to many and debated time and again by the media - was first flagged by Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief.
Elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in less than a year time. The SP-Congress alliance will yet again be debated. Both the parties contested jointly against BJP in 2017 but could not do much as the saffron party was able to pull the carpet underneath Akhilesh's feet. The Yogi-led dispensation is in power in the country's most populous state since then.
After Akhilesh, several other leaders including from the Left parties, echoed concerns. Some leaders also questioned the 'effectiveness' of holding meetings of the INDI-alliance only once a year.
In Monday's meeting, it has been decided that the deliberations will be held every two months and hence the next meeting has been convened at Hyderabad.
The Congress is in power in Telangana and the state assembly elections are due in later part of 2028.
This is the first meeting of the opposition alliance since recent polls in five states. While the Congress has able to return to power in Kerala; after this year's polls - in a major development, the founder ally DMK was dumped. This followed after Congress decided to back Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
In response to remarks and soft criticism, Rahul Gandhi took upon himself the task of reacting and assuring the leaders.
He said that while the alliance remains united at the national level, he also has to take into account feedback from state unit leaders on local political conditions during election campaigns.
This also amounts to defending and justifying the Congress decision to dump DMK led by former Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin.
The opposition leaders also discussed the rise of the Cockroach Janta Party, with several leaders stating that the movement should be supported as it is raising issues that are resonating with the public.
The Anna Hazare movement remains a stark reminder for ground zero references. In 2011, the anti-corruption crusade exposed Congress and made its position vulnerable politically; the major benefactor in the long term was the BJP.
The saffron outfit could capture power in 2014 under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
However, there was another offshoot as in the city polls, the AAP under Arvind Kejriwal emerged as a force and it was in power in Delhi for 10 years consecutively between 2015 and 2025. The AAP is also in power in Punjab and in states such as Gujarat and also Punjab and Delhi; the AAP has mostly hurt Congress interest eating into that space.
Hence, Uddhav's remarks have special significance of their own.
In fact, the CJP had on Saturday demanded resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak and CBSE examination row.
INDIA BLOC LEADERS MEET IN NEW DELHI
Earlier in the day, leaders of 25 Opposition parties met in New Delhi to discuss a united strategy to take on the BJP-led government over several political and economic issues, ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Senior Opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, attended the meeting.
ends
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