‘Future of oppn’s INDIA bloc not so bright, BJP formidable...’: Chidambaram forewarns for 2029
India News: The remarks of the senior politician assume importance as they come at a time when the entire nation has unitedly backed the Modi government over its Operation Sindoor targeting terror dens in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Senior Congress leader and former union minister P Chidambaram has issued a forewarning for the opposition about the next general elections saying that the future is not so bright for the INDIA alliance, as it seems frail while it is pitted against the ruling BJP, which is so formidable and organised.
Speaking at the launch of a book co-authored by senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid in New Delhi, Chidambaram confessed to the uncertainty over the future of the INDIA alliance, and said, “The future is not so bright as Mr Mrityunjay Singh Yadav (the second co-author) says. He seems to feel that the INDIA alliance is still intact. I am not sure. Maybe Salman can answer... because he was part of the negotiating team of the INDIA alliance.”
“If the INDIA alliance is totally intact... I would be very, very happy, but it seems frail. It can be put together. There is still time. There are still events which will unfold...”
Chidambaram then sounded out a warning to the Congress and other opposition parties, saying, “In my experience, in my reading of history, there has been no political party which is so formidably organised as the BJP. In every department, it is formidable.”
“It is not (just) another political party...”
#WATCH | Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram says, "The future is not so bright as Mr Mrityunjay Singh Yadav says. He seems to feel that the INDIA alliance is still intact. I am not sure. Maybe Salman (Khurshid) can answer because he was part of the negotiating team of… pic.twitter.com/ZTJA9xsS1L
The warning comes months before a number of assembly elections in states like Bihar, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu the results of which can determine the likely outcome of the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
The remarks of the senior politician assume importance as they come at a time when the entire nation has unitedly backed the Modi government over its Operation Sindoor targeting terror dens in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
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Chidambaram was speaking at the launch of the book ‘Contesting Democratic Deficit’, co-authored by Congress leader Salman Khurshid, on Thursday when he appreciated the BJP’s “formidable machinery”.
BJP leaders lap up comments, share video
BJP leaders lapped up the comments and shared the video of Chidambaram’s remarks with their comments.
BJP’s Pradeep Bhandari shared the video of the Rajya Sabha MP on X, and said, “Congress leader P Chidambaram predicts – ‘Opposition won’t be intact in the future, BJP is a formidable organisation’. Even Rahul Gandhi’s close aides know Congress has no future!”
Former Union Minister and BJP’s Kerala state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the INDIA bloc was a “motley collection” that came together only because of their “love for corruption”.
“The BJP is a formidable party because it believes in strong values/principles of India First, and cares for all Indians - and so has the support of most Indians,” he said on X.
VIDEO | Reacting sharply to Congress leader P. Chidambaram's remark expressing uncertainty about the unity of the INDIA alliance, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said:
"Even in the Congress Party, people are beginning to realise that the alliance they call the INDIA… pic.twitter.com/fRHkOxunMZ
The Congress party has not responded to Chidambaram’s remarks so far.
Coming state elections to decide 2029 battle
State assembly elections in Bihar are due later this year, while Bengal and Tamil Nadu will vote in 2026. The politically and electorally crucial state of Pradesh will vote in 2027, while state polls will be held in Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh in 2028, a year before the 2029 general elections.
The opposition parties had joined hands ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and formed the INDIA bloc in July 2023 after successive poll defeats.
The alliance started developing cracks after the 2024 elections as members were unhappy with the unwillingness of the Congress party to share seats with state or regional allies in subsequent elections.