Inside INDIA huddle: Fight to finish against BJP, says Rahul; Mamata for larger Opposition

The meeting of the INDIA bloc parties in Delhi Wednesday saw Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, pitching for the Opposition's unity while stressing that it will have to trust itself.

Both Rahul and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it was time all democratic forces come together against the BJP-led government.

Rahul is learnt to have told the meeting that the system which had been put in place by the ruling BJP was crumbling and that it was now a fight to the finish for the Opposition.

Rahul also said some of the INDIA parties may have differences in some states but that should not come in the way of all the allies uniting and working together at the national level, sources said.

He said there should be unanimity among the INDIA partners who should not be speaking against each other. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "psychologically broken" and that the Opposition has "already won the psychological battle", sources said.

The meeting was marked with several interesting exchanges. Sources said G Devarajan of the Forward Bloc suggested that the leaders take out a march to the EC office immediately after the meeting. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee supported him and told Rahul that it was a good suggestion. Rahul was agreeable but other leaders felt the protest march should be organised in a structured way and not in an impulsive manner, sources said.

Taking a cue from CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, who said efforts should be made to bring together all parties, civil society groups and intellectuals opposed to the BJP, Mamata told the meeting that she had spoken to BJD chief Naveen Patnaik Tuesday and planned to reach out to the non-NDA parties which are not part of the INDIA alliance.

She said it was time to bring everyone together and even observed that she did not have any ego now as she was the "biggest sufferer".

In his intervention later, Rahul said all the parties were sufferers and that the people were ultimately the real sufferers, sources said. While arguing that efforts should be made to bring all Opposition parties together, Mamata, at one point, even obliquely suggested to the Congress that it can have the PM's post but it will have to bring everyone on board, sources said.

Kharge intervened and is learnt to have said that the Congress was not after power or the PM post as it "only wants to save the nation and democracy", adding that talks about power and PM's post were not relevant now, sources said.

Rahul is also learnt to have told the INDIA partners that history will remember the group of leaders at the meeting for "saving the nation and the country's democracy", sources said. He claimed that officers in the EC, CBI, and ED have started getting in touch with him regarding alleged irregularities in their offices.

National Conference leader and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah spoke about alleged irregularities in the West Bengal elections, among other issues, and flagged alleged capture of institutions by the government.

Independent MP Kapil Sibal said there was no point seeking the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar as he has immunity under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.

Proposing that the Opposition parties should jointly move the Supreme Court to challenge this law, which was accepted by the grouping, Sibal said the campaign against the EC needs to be undertaken "politically and legally", sources said.

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CPI(M)-L leader Dipankar Bhattacharya highlighted the alleged malpractice by the EC in changing Form 6 for new voters.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who joined the meeting virtually, alleged that the EC was not just indulging in "vote theft" but also "helping the BJP in breaking the Opposition parties", said sources. He also said that the Opposition needs to be on the ground on the issue of "vote chori".

The meeting did not formally deliberate on the Opposition's proposal to again move an impeachment motion against Gyanesh Kumar in Parliament, although some leaders discussed it on its sidelines, sources added.