The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching and the INDI Alliance is withering away just as fast. After being jolted by AAP and TMC, the Congress has now been hit by its ally in Tamil Nadu, the DMK.
A minister of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu took a dig at the Congress saying that the party was running only to get the seats for its own in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Calling the Congress party “big and old”, DMK Minister Raja Kannappan said that the party had now “lost its strength”.
“As far as the INDIA bloc is concerned, our leader spoke about it even a day back. Congress is a big and old party. I’m not denying that. But they have lost their strength,” he said.
“As far as the Congress is concerned, they run the party only to get seats. What’s the use of that? They don’t run the party thinking they should work hard or do good for the people. But when elections come closer, they will come. This doesn’t work amongst the people,” he said while addressing an event in Puducherry.
He added, “That’s why the BJP is trying to do too much. The BJP can’t do that with us. We don’t get scared. We will chase them away. We will take care of BJP.”
DMK and Congress are allies in Tamil Nadu. The two parties are reportedly set to hold the first round of formal seat-sharing talks in Chennai on Sunday (28th January) for the upcoming general elections.
Meanwhile, DMK Chief MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has appealed to the INDI bloc to stay united. He told his allies that “votes against the BJP should not split”.
This comes as another embarrassing setback for the Congress and INDI alliance what with the TMC and AAP declaring that they will fight the Lok Sabha elections alone in their respective states that is West Bengal and Punjab.
Now, developments in Bihar are also unfolding much to the detriment of Congress. JDU’s Nitish Kumar, as reports suggest, is likely to switch sides for the nth time after abandoning the BJP to join the Mahagatbandhan.
Meanwhile, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav announced on Saturday (27th January) that Congress will contest elections on 11 seats in UP. However, India Today has quoted its sources as saying that the Congress leadership has rejected this formula.
The Congress unit in UP has rejected this deal and said that this decision is of Akhilesh Yadav and not of the Congress party. UP has the maximum number of 80 Lok Sabha seats.