Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi used the first meeting of the reconstituted top decision-making body of the party to send out a strong signal of unity to the 28-member opposition INDIA alliance on Saturday. Mrs Gandhi told the members of the Congress Working Committee that the party has to fight unitedly with INDIA against the BJP.
Her remarks come days after the third meeting of the alliance in Mumbai and the first meeting of its Coordination Committee at the residence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. They assume importance because of reports that the bloc, while largely successful in figuring out seat-sharing arrangements in some states, is expected to have a tough time in others, especially West Bengal, Delhi and Punjab.
After the meeting in Mumbai, the parties in the INDIA alliance had also said that they would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election “together as far as possible”. The inclusion of the phrase in their resolution had raised eyebrows and lent credence to speculation that the parties were also seeing a rocky road ahead when it came to working out the seat-sharing arrangements in some states.
In his opening remarks at the CWC meeting – the first since he took over as the Congress president last year – Mallikarjun Kharge launched an all-out attack on the BJP and the Centre and said that it has been a “complete failure on all important fronts”. Mr Kharge alleged that the Modi government has not been able to control inflation, unemployment, widening inequality or the deteriorating condition of farmers and labourers.
Stating that India is at a crossroads and is facing many internal challenges, Mr Kharge said the whole country is witnessing the tragic events that are still unfolding in Manipur. “The Modi government allowed the fire of Manipur to reach Nuh in Haryana. These incidents tarnish the image of a modern, progressive, and secular India,” the Congress chief said.
