With only around seven months left for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the bickering among the constituents of the I.N.D.I.A bloc doesn't seem to be nearing an end anytime soon. While earlier, the Congress was at loggerheads with the AAP, the TMC, and the CPI-M in various states, it is now seemingly facing stiff opposition from the Samajwadi Party in UP. Over the past few days, either party has not missed any opportunity to take a potshot at each other.
On Thursday, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav sought to downplay Congress's strength in UP, claiming that the Grand Old Party has no strength left in the state and it was up to his party to defeat the BJP. "Congress has nothing left here in Uttar Pradesh. Only Samajwadi Party can and will defeat the BJP here," he said when asked about reports of Congress preparing to contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Earlier this week, Congress took a swipe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav over the launch of the party's PDA (Pichhde-Dalit-Alpsankhyak) rally in the state, saying that the party did not address concerns of the backward classes when it was in power. Speaking to ANI on Monday, the Congress president in Uttar Pradesh, Ajay Rai said the SP didn't do much to reach out to backward and marginalised people in the many years that it ruled the state.
"We have not been in power in Uttar Pradesh for nearly three decades. They (Samajwadis) ruled the state for a number of years but failed to connect or reach out to the backward classes and marginalised communities. The people are aware of this and are tracking their moves minutely," Mr Rai said, as quoted by the news agency ANI. The SP chief fell out with the grand old party alleging that it reneged on its promise of setting aside 6 seats in Madhya Pradesh for its INDIA ally.
The situation doesn't look any better for Congress in Bihar either where CM Nitish Kumar has also cast doubts about the party's seriousness in the alliance.
The Bihar CM said on Thursday that the I.N.D.I.A bloc was formed, but nothing much is happening as the Congress party is more interested in the upcoming Assembly elections, which are scheduled to be held in five states. The JD(U) leader was speaking at a rally in Patna, held by the Communist Party of India, which was evocatively themed 'Bhaajpa hataao Desh bachao' (dislodge the BJP from power, save the country).
"We spoke with all the parties and urged them to unite and protect the country from those who are trying to alter its history. For this, meetings were held in Patna and elsewhere. I.N.D.I.A Alliance was formed but nothing much is happening. There are Assembly elections in 5 states. Congress is more interested in those. We were all working together to take forward the Congress party but they are not worried about all this right now. They are busy with the 5-state election right now. So, after the 5-state election, they themselves will call everyone," Nitish Kumar said.