INDIA alliance falling apart: BJP

The BJP on Wednesday brushed off the united front put by the Opposition during the INDIA bloc meeting, claiming it is crumbling and its leaders have rejected Rahul Gandhi’s leadership after Akhilesh Yadav and a few other leaders did not attend it. The ruling party also quipped, “Zero vision, 100 per cent frustration, and advance excuse for poll defeats are the outcome of the INDIA bloc meet.”

These strong remarks by Union Shivraj Singh Chouhan came after the INDIA bloc leaders converged here to finalise an action plan for a joint agitation over alleged irregularities in the SIR.

“Leave the INDIA bloc aside; even Congress leaders and members of the party are not willing to accept Rahul Gandhi as their leader. Rahul himself, during Congress Working Committee meetings, keeps pleading: ‘Accept me as your leader, trust me’,” Chouhan told reporters.

The Congress asserted that the Opposition stands united to protect the Constitution from “repeated assaults” of the Modi Government, including its “vote chori gameplan” to remain in power.

Addressing a press conference, Chouhan said, “Zero vision, 100 per cent frustration, and advance excuse for poll defeats are the outcome of the INDIA bloc meet.”

He said that the INDIA bloc’s proposed marches from October 2 to October 8 are not meant to save democracy, but to save the “dynasty” of the Congress and its constituents.

While the DMK and the AAP skipped the meeting, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also did not attend on account of nominations for Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Chouhan said, “The INDIA alliance fell apart even before the meeting took place. The DMK is not attending the meeting. Akhilesh is busy elsewhere. The AAP had already declined.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he will join virtually, Chouhan said, meaning it will be an instance of a crack in the grouping.

“Why is this happening? It is because the INDIA alliance is simply not willing to accept Rahul Gandhi-ji as its leader. His leadership is not being accepted; that is why they are not even showing up,” the BJP leader said.

“No matter how many times they try to re-launch Rahul, INDIA bloc does not consider him their leader,” he said.  Chouhan wondered, “How can the country accept someone as a leader whom the Congress party itself does not?”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, the TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, and leaders from the SP, CPI, CPI(M), NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), among others, attended the meeting.

The minister also took an exception to the bloc members’ opposition to the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists underway in India.

“An accurate voter list is the soul of democracy, and if incorrect names are included in it, democracy will perish. I want to ask the Congress party what objection could you possibly have to the removal of the name of someone who is no longer alive from the voter list?” Chouhan said.

For a “pristine democracy”, the voter list must be accurate, the minister stressed. “What is the problem if a name is removed from one location in cases of duplication? Why should the name of someone who is not even a citizen of the country be included in the voter list?” he added.