VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan on Sunday urged the leader of the INDIA bloc – Indian National Congress – to immediately convene a meeting of all its constituents, after the BJP won the Delhi Assembly election.
In a statement, Mr. Thirumavalavan said the Congress failed to strongly oppose the BJP when it filed cases against former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Ministers and imprisoned them, and also when it swiftly amended the law in Parliament to overturn the five-judge Supreme Court Bench ruling that the Delhi government had authority over appointments and administration.
“The Congress viewed the AAP as a competitor, and the AAP believed that the Congress’s weakness would benefit them — this mutual distrust is the root cause of their failure. Though the AAP was part of the INDIA bloc, the alliance lacked cohesion. The primary reason for the BJP’s victory in Delhi was the lack of unity between the AAP and the Congress,” he said.
Mr. Thirumavalavan said the INDIA bloc could lose public trust if it is defeated in the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
“After the general election, the Congress showed no interest in convening an INDIA bloc meeting. Even though the alliance prevented the BJP from securing a Parliamentary majority, subsequent State elections saw the BJP win due to the INDIA bloc’s lack of coordination. This is the bitter reality. INDIA bloc parties prioritise their individual electoral gains over the welfare of the people,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr. Thirumavalavan said the AIADMK and the BJP deciding not to contest the Erode (East) Assembly byelection raised suspicion as to whether these parties had a covert agreement to support the NTK to avoid splitting Opposition votes.
“This suggests a tacit political alliance was tested between the NTK, the AIADMK, and the BJP. The NTK engaged in an unprecedented level of divisive politics in Tamil Nadu, particularly by making offensive remarks against (Dravidar Kazhagam founder) Thanthai Periyar. The AIADMK’s silence on this issue was shocking, while the BJP openly encouraged the NTK’s hate-driven politics. This further solidifies the belief that the NTK, the AIADMK, and the BJP share an implicit political understanding,” he said.
