Akhilesh Yadav on Friday seemed to take a shot at the Congress which broke off its Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance in Tamil Nadu, reigniting the discussion on opposition unity in the INDIA bloc.
The Samajwadi Party chief posted pictures of his recent discussions with Mamata Banerjee and DMK chief M K Stalin on social media and added, “It is not we who left each other in the lurch during difficult times.” The timing of the statement sparked speculations that the comment was directed at the party’s latest political ploy in the Tamil Nadu state as he did not refer to Congress directly.
The Congress recently declared its support to actor-politician Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), thus breaking its auspicious partnership with the DMK. The shock move has left the state government in a political bind and left opposition parties in doubt about how they will hold together in the future, ahead of the next elections.
Akhilesh Yadav’s post also coincided with his meet with Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata. The talks were said to be part of wider opposition talks to review political tactics after electoral defeats in various states in the past few elections.
Congress’ support to TVK has the potential to significantly change the alliance landscape in Tamil Nadu where the DMK and Congress had been collaborating against the BJP-led NDA for years, political observers say. The shift has also aggravated the intra-INDIA schism as regional political parties are increasingly focusing on safeguarding their political space and influence.
Congress leaders have hailed the development as a “strategic political shift”, while allies of the opposition seem to be wary of the message being conveyed by the development in terms of trust and long-term cooperation among anti-BJP parties.