Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday dismissed the reports of fissures in the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), and said the meeting of opposition members will take place after the assembly elections. Raut stressed the significance of the assembly elections, particularly in states where the Congress party holds a dominant position.
“In the states in which there are elections, Congress is the number-one party...If we do not defeat the BJP in the assembly elections, how will we prepare for the Lok Sabha elections?” Raut said.
“After the completion of elections in five states, meetings of the INDIA alliance will take place again,” he added.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's statement was in response to a recent remark by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar about the Congress’s “lackadaisical” approach in taking forward the discussion on seat sharing among INDIA parties. Speaking at a CPI rally last Thursday, Kumar said that Congress was busy with assembly elections rather than focusing on the INDIA bloc.
“All of us came together and strived to project Congress as the fulcrum of our unity initiative, but the Congress is showing no concern,” the Bihar CM had said.
An editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' acknowledged Kumar's concerns as valid but added that he should not air his concern publicly as this makes the BJP happy. The Marathi daily also said the assembly polls scheduled this month in five states is a "dress rehearsal" for the Lok Sabha polls next year.
{{/usCountry}}An editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' acknowledged Kumar's concerns as valid but added that he should not air his concern publicly as this makes the BJP happy. The Marathi daily also said the assembly polls scheduled this month in five states is a "dress rehearsal" for the Lok Sabha polls next year.
{{/usCountry}}“It is important for the Congress to win polls to stop the misuse of power and arrogance of money. This will be crucial for the INDIA alliance,” the editorial said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is said to have talked to Kumar on Saturday in a bid to scotch “rumours” about fissures. People close to the CM said that Kharge told Kumar that his party would resume discussions on INDIA block strategy after the assembly polls.
“The Congress president also reminded Kumar about the need to expand the state cabinet and give due representation to Congress and RJD at the earliest,” said a senior JD(U) leader, who did not want to be named.
(With additional inputs from Subhash Pathak)