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'Abandon in difficult times': Akhilesh Yadav's cryptic dig after Congress ditches DMK in Tamil Nadu
Akhilesh’s remarks have added to speculation over whether the INDIA alliance is beginning to witness internal strains after a series of electoral setbacks.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday appeared to take a veiled swipe at the Congress after the party’s dramatic political shift in Tamil Nadu triggered fresh questions over the stability of the INDIA bloc.
Sharing a photograph from his recent meeting with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and another picture with DMK's MK Stalin, Yadav posted on social media: “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty.”
Though he did not name any party, the timing of the remark quickly drew attention in political circles, especially after Congress walked out of its long-standing alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and extended support to actor-politician Vijay’s TVK.
Akhilesh Yadav's post also came just a day after he met Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata following the Trinamool Congress’ setback in West Bengal. The meeting was seen as part of broader opposition efforts to reassess strategy after recent assembly election losses.
Congress’ move rattles opposition equations
The Congress on Wednesday announced support to Vijay's party in a surprise move that effectively ended its alliance with the DMK, a partner it had stayed with for years in Tamil Nadu politics.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee said it would support the formation of a TVK-led government and “share the responsibility of governance".
Rattled by the move, the DMK has accused Congress of “backstabbing” the alliance at a crucial moment.
The April 23 Assembly election delivered a hung mandate, with TVK emerging as the single-largest party after winning 108 seats in the 234-member House. Congress’ five MLAs have now taken the TVK-led combine to 112 seats, still six short of the majority mark of 118.
INDIA bloc unity in question
Akhilesh’s remarks have added to speculation over whether the INDIA alliance is beginning to witness internal strains after a series of electoral setbacks.
Interestingly, while Mamata Banerjee has spoken about strengthening opposition unity despite TMC’s poor performance in Bengal, Congress’ Tamil Nadu decision has created discomfort among some allies who see it as a sign of political unpredictability within the bloc.
BJP says opposition alliance will collapse
The BJP wasted little time in targeting the opposition alliance over the developments.
BJP MP Sambit Patra on Wednesday said, “I am making a prediction: Wait for just a few weeks, the 'INDI' alliance will be destroyed. We have information from sources that the 'INDI' alliance is going to break apart,” news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
He also targeted Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee, accusing opposition leaders of showing unity only after suffering electoral defeats.
“This is the height of frustration … look at all these INDI alliance leaders – Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee – they have all come together. When they have to unite to fight elections, they do not come together and keep contesting separately. But after losing, they have all united,” he said.
For now, no INDIA bloc ally has publicly questioned the alliance’s future.
