Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Premchand Bairwa on Wednesday criticised the INDIA bloc ahead of its meeting in Delhi, questioning the alliance's relevance and cohesion.
Speaking to ANI, Chandrasekhar said the INDIA bloc had failed to establish a unified agenda and accused the Congress of undermining its regional allies, including Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK.
"INDIA alliance has no relevance; it did not have any earlier and does not have any today," Chandrasekhar said. "The INDIA alliance was fundamentally created to bring Rahul Gandhi forward and promote him. The Congress has betrayed its INDIA alliance partners, including the DMK, and has aligned with others."
Bairwa also criticised the opposition grouping, saying alliances formed by it had repeatedly failed due to a lack of trust. He said BJP-led alliances remained strong because they were based on the party's values and work culture.
Speaking to ANI in Jaipur, Bairwa said, "Whenever they have formed alliances, those alliances have failed; the reason for this failure is a lack of trust in their modus operandi. In contrast, the BJP’s alliances endure because they are rooted in the party's ethos, values, and work culture."
He further attributed the longevity of BJP alliances to public trust in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"Since the public trusts the BJP, its alliances remain strong. Therefore, I do not believe their alliance will last, or indeed, has ever lasted. You can see how many times they have formed alliances and subsequently failed," Bairwa added.
His remarks came on the day leaders of the INDIA bloc were scheduled to meet in the national capital to discuss various issues.
Earlier, after the INDIA bloc coordination meeting in New Delhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced a series of protests against the Election Commission and over alleged threats to democratic institutions, saying opposition parties would work together in a coordinated manner.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Kharge said discussions continued for nearly three-and-a-half hours, with leaders from various parties sharing their views and agreeing to fight together.
"Discussions continued for around three-and-a-half hours. Many leaders expressed their views. Uddhav Thackeray ji and Hemant Soren ji also shared their views. Everyone has decided to fight together in a united manner," Kharge said.
Kharge alleged that institutions were being weakened and accused the Election Commission of being influenced by the government. He alleged that elections were being won through unfair means and claimed that the democratic functioning of opposition parties was being disrupted.
He announced a nationwide protest programme, saying that INDIA bloc leaders would hold a "Save Democracy March" at the district level from October 2 to October 8. He further said that opposition MPs would march to the Election Commission on October 6, while opposition leaders would meet President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October to raise concerns over alleged institutional issues.