Raut flays Congress for ignoring INDIA bloc

On the eve of the Assembly elections in Delhi, the Congress is facing a flurry of attack from its INDIA bloc allies, which are accusing it of ignoring the Opposition conglomeration.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday is the latest to join the chorus of parties criticising the Congress for not doing enough to chalk out an agenda for the INDIA bloc besides jointly fighting the Lok Sabha polls which is now over and take place again in 2029 only.

There's confusion

There is no communication, dialogue, discussion (among allies). This means there is confusion in the minds of all whether everything is fine within the alliance...if the alliance breaks, it cannot be revived.

-- Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader

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Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut said it was the responsibility of the Congress to keep the INDIA bloc intact as it was the largest party in the opposition alliance. Raut's statement came close on the heel of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remarks expressing dismay over the lack of clarity on the INDIA bloc leadership and agenda, and saying the alliance should be wound up if it was meant only for the 2024 parliamentary elections.

The lack of communication among partners in the anti-BJP grouping was giving an impression that all was not well in the bloc which had more than two dozen parties, Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, said.

"If the alliance was only for the Lok Sabha polls, then declare the INDIA bloc doesn't exist anymore. I that we ( the allies) will choose our own path," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said.

Earlier, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee also accused the Congress party of paying inadequate attention to INDIA bloc and offered to take up the leadership of the Opposition conglomeration.

Following the outburst by Raut, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate told a TV channel that the Congress was committed to keeping the INDIA bloc strong. “Modi has been forced to run a coalition govt due to INDIA”, Shrinate said and added that while the Congress was large-hearted, it was a political party and not an NGO. “We will rebuild and reclaim our fertile political bastions”, she said.