Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has said that the INDIA alliance is bound together by a shared rejection of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) ideological position, even as he acknowledged that the Opposition bloc will continue to witness “tactical contests” or friendly fights among its constituent parties.
Speaking at an interaction at the Hertie School in Berlin, Gandhi said the alliance is often viewed narrowly through the prism of elections, particularly in the run-up to polls. “Look at it slightly differently,” he said. “All the parties of the INDIA alliance do not agree with the basic ideology of the RSS. That is the point. You can ask any of them, none will tell you that they believe in the ideological position of the RSS. On that question, we are united.”
At the same time, he accepted that differences among allies would persist at the state level. “We have tactical contests that take place, and we will continue to have them,” Gandhi said, describing these as part of the political reality of a multi-party alliance.
Rahul Gandhi argued that the INDIA bloc demonstrates cohesion when it comes to opposing the BJP in Parliament. “When the Opposition requires unity, you see it every day in Parliament. We are very united,” he said. “We will contest the BJP on the laws we disagree with. This is a deeper battle than elections. We are fighting for an alternative vision of India.”
His remarks assume significance amid growing debate within and outside the Opposition over the future and viability of the INDIA alliance. Questions about unity have sharpened against the backdrop of friendly contests in states such as Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal, developments that the BJP has frequently cited to question the bloc’s cohesion.
These doubts are expected to intensify ahead of Assembly elections due early next year. In Kerala, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front is in power and will face a challenge from the Congress-led United Democratic Front. In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress is being opposed by the Left and the Congress, despite being part of the INDIA bloc at the national level. In Maharashtra, the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) continue to spar over seat-sharing within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Strains were also visible during recent seat-sharing negotiations in Bihar, where the RJD and the Congress were unable to accommodate the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
In contrast, the BJP has managed its alliances more smoothly, a strategy that has paid electoral dividends. The BJP has continued to mock the alliance, with one of its leaders remarking that the INDIA bloc is not on life support but “already dead”.
