NEW DELHI: Ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled in the national capital on Monday, posters targeting leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi surfaced at several roundabouts across New Delhi, spotlighting past criticisms of the Congress leader by some of his current allies.The posters featured remarks previously made by leaders including NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal against Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.One of the posters with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s photo read, “Rahul Gandhi mein consistency ki kami hai (Rahul Gandhi lacks consistency.)”The development comes at a time when the opposition alliance is facing visible strains. The DMK has decided to skip the meeting after Congress ended its long-standing alliance with the party and joined hands with actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu.DMK leader TKS Elangovan openly criticised Congress, accusing it of abandoning alliance partners and predicting that more parties could walk out of the INDIA bloc. Calling Congress a “non-reliable party”, Elangovan said DMK cadres were upset over Congress aligning with TVK despite having previously contested elections alongside the DMK.He questioned how Congress could continue claiming leadership of the INDIA bloc while forging ties with a party outside the alliance, and suggested that several partners were reconsidering their association with the grouping.Congress has also faced friction with allies in states where alliance partners have been direct political rivals. The party’s electoral battles against the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the CPI(M) in Kerala have triggered concerns within the Opposition camp.The CPI(M) has reportedly conveyed its displeasure to Congress over what it described as a “systematic campaign” against its leadership during the Kerala Assembly elections. Despite the differences, the Left party has decided to send Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas to the meeting.Seeking to project unity, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said representatives of 23 political parties would attend the INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi. He maintained that Opposition parties remain united despite disagreements among alliance partners.West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to attend the meeting in person, while Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will participate virtually.(With ANI inputs)
