New Delhi: The INDIA bloc has decided against staking a claim to form government, with the Opposition parties arriving at a consensus that the political situation does not favour any such move “at the moment”.
The decision, two Opposition leaders told ThePrint, was taken at the INDIA bloc’s first meeting Wednesday at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge after the announcement of the result of the Lok Sabha elections.
Following the meeting, which lasted over two hours, Kharge read out a statement, saying the alliance will take “appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s government.”
The joint statement appeared to keep alive the possibility of the alliance exploring options to stake claim to form government. It did not rule it out right, suggesting that back-channel talks may continue with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), which have emerged as kingmakers with the return of the coalition politics.
“The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This is a political and moral defeat of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism of the Modi Government. The India bloc will continue to fight against the fascist rule of the BJP led by Modi,” the statement added.
The meeting was attended by the leaders of 21 Opposition parties. Apart from Kharge, who hosted the meeting, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also in attendance from the Congress.
A leader said that any formal announcement by the INDIA bloc that it will continue to explore options to form government may hurt the alliance in the eyes of the public as the NDA has for now secured written support from TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the chief of JD(U).
On Wednesday, ahead of the meeting of the INDIA bloc, the BJP-led NDA also unanimously elected Modi as its leader. “There is no immediate scope for the INDIA bloc to form government. So, there will be no move like staking a claim. But the alliance will keep a watch on the situation and act when the time is right,” a leader who attended the meeting said.
With the BJP losing its majority in the Lok Sabha, settling with 240 seats, the party has been forced to take the support of its allies, most importantly, the TDP and JD(U), which collectively have 28 MPs, to cross the halfway mark of 272. The INDIA bloc, powered by the Congress’s 99 seats, has a strength of 233.
Behind the INDIA bloc’s formidable show is also the performance of the SP, which won a record 37 seats, and the TMC, which increased its tally from 22 to 29. From the SP, its chief Akhilesh Yadav attended Wednesday’s meeting, while the TMC was represented by its national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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