Patna (Bihar) [India], September 30 (ANI): Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Sanjay Sarogi on Wednesday criticised the INDIA bloc meeting held in the national capital, saying such gatherings take place whenever elections approach or the opposition faces defeat, while accusing the alliance of being driven by “self-interest”.
He said that the opposition alliance was a “coalition of self-interest” and claimed that “cracks are appearing among them”.
Reacting to the INDIA bloc meeting, Sarogi told ANI, "Anyone is free to hold a coalition meeting. But this is a coalition of self-interest. Slowly, cracks are appearing even among them. DMK has said that we won't go, Akhilesh Yadav isn't going, but he understands their coalition... Whenever elections come, or the opposition loses badly, such meetings happen, and after the meeting, there's just ranting."
Meanwhile, following a three-and-a-half-hour coordination meeting in New Delhi, leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc—including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—announced a joint campaign alleging the erosion of democracy and electoral manipulation.
Opposition leaders accused the government of undermining democratic norms and compromising key institutions, particularly targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged EVM tampering and "vote theft."
Mamata Banerjee demanded the immediate resignations of both CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Rahul Gandhi pledged that those responsible for damaging Indian democracy would face accountability.
Targeting the Congress over its criticism of the Election Commission, Sarogi said, "When the Election Commission doesn't make decisions to Congress's liking, Congress raises questions about constitutional institutions and their officials, just like it's raising questions about Gyanesh Kumar..."
The INDIA bloc held a meeting in the national capital on Wednesday. The parties that participated in the meeting included Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), CPI(M), CPI, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), CPI-ML, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Congress (M), MDMK, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Kerala Congress (Jacob), and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB).
The INDIA bloc offensive would begin on the second day of October. Across the country, local cadres and party workers were instructed to gather outside District Magistrate offices, turning local administration centres into ground zero for a week-long "Save Democracy" protest. For seven days, the opposition aimed to ensure that their grievances echoed not just in the capital, but in every district across the nation.
By October 6, the battleground would shift back to the heart of New Delhi. In a unified show of strength, every opposition Member of Parliament would march side-by-side toward the Election Commission, turning their institutional allegations into a physical spectacle on the capital's avenues. Shortly after, by mid-October, top leaders would seek an audience with President Droupadi Murmu, carrying a formal petition to voice their alarm over what they described as the systemic erosion of democratic norms.
Yet, these actions were merely the prelude to a larger public mobilisation. Heading deeper into October and November, the INDIA bloc planned to stage five massive joint rallies across key regions, rallying their bases and testing their collective momentum. It would all culminate on November 1 in New Delhi, where a final, mega-rally was set to bring every faction of the alliance together under a single banner, setting the stage for a prolonged and bitter political battle.
With the opposition unrelenting on the issue, the stage is set for a bitter political fight, especially with 5 states going to the polls in 2027. (ANI)
"Coalition of self-interest; cracks appearing among them": BJP's Sanjay Sarogi on INDIA bloc meet
