NEW DELHI: Amid concerns about internal discord within the INDIA bloc, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav dismissed speculations of a breakup and said the alliance remains intact. Speaking confidently about their cohesion, Yadav said: “The INDIAN alliance is intact.”
“INDIA alliance was formed to unite regional parties against the BJP. The Samajwadi Party remains committed to strengthening this alliance and strongly supports the parties fighting against the BJP,” he added.
His statement came amid mixed signals from other key opposition leaders. Congress MP Manish Tewari reiterated the broader purpose of the alliance and said: “The INDIA alliance was created to safeguard the soul of the country, not simply to contest the Lok Sabha elections. It delivered a strong performance, which checked the dominance of the BJP in many regions. The future course will be decided collectively by all alliance leaders.”
However, not all voices within the bloc have been so optimistic. Responding to media questions on the time limit for the INDIA bloc, Abdullah said: “As far as I remember, there was no time limit set for this. Unfortunately, since no meeting of the INDIA bloc has been called , there is no clarity on this, neither regarding the leadership, nor the agenda, nor whether we will continue or not Maybe after that elections will be held in Delhi, it would be good if all the stakeholders of the bloc were called. from INDIA and would have clarity on this. If this was only for the parliament elections.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut expressed his displeasure and blamed the Congress for failing to maintain unity after the elections. “I agree with Omar Abdullah’s concerns. While we achieved promising results in the Lok Sabha elections, it was the responsibility of the Congress, as the main player, to keep the alliance together and chart a cohesive path forward,” Raut said.
He further mentioned, “Leaders like Omar Abdullah, Mamta Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal say that the INDIA alliance is no more.”
Meanwhile, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal distanced himself from linking the upcoming Delhi assembly elections with the alliance, instead framing it as a direct contest between his party and the BJP. “The Delhi elections are about the AAP and the BJP, not the INDIA block,” Kejriwal clarified.
However, Kejriwal also expressed gratitude for the support of leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Uddhav Thackeray.
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