Inside INDIA meet: Rahul calls SIR fight not ordinary, Mamata seeks allies beyond bloc

In the past, INDIA alliance meetings have often been marked by disagreements, arguments and at times, even walkouts. But Wednesday's meeting struck a very different note.

Leaders spoke one by one, and the sense of unity was evident even during the press conference that followed. The meeting was marked by consensus, while the mood remained upbeat over the political fight ahead.

Leaders agreed that a clear schedule of protests and programmes must now be chalked out and momentum built to mount pressure on the Election Commission.

NO ORDINARY FIGHT: RAHUL'S UNITY CALL

A senior leader said Rahul Gandhi spoke about how the Opposition had been raising the issue from the beginning.

"We have been raising this issue from the beginning. This is not an ordinary fight. We have to fight unitedly for the survival of democracy," the leader quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying.

However, Gandhi also acknowledged that political dynamics change at the state level.

"There are parties fighting against each other within the INDIA bloc. There is rivalry at the state level and it may not be possible to protest together on this issue, like in Kerala. The issue can be the same, but they can protest separately under the same slogan," the leader quoted him as saying.

'PM A SHADOW OF HIS PAST, A WEAK PM': RAHUL GANDHI

Rahul Gandhi escalated his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the meeting and told INDIA bloc leaders that the Prime Minister was in "panic mode."

A source said Rahul asserted that more "skeletons" would come tumbling out of the closet.

"Modi is only a shadow of what he was earlier. He is lost. More exposs will come out soon. Modi won't be able to stand up to it," the source quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying.

Recalling his protest outside the Prime Minister's residence, Rahul Gandhi claimed that frantic calls were being made from inside.

"When I was protesting against Modi, he was there inside his house. Frantic calls were going out to NSA Ajit Doval. He was panicking. Modi is a weak person. I am getting information from all agencies and places that more things are going to come out and he will not be able to sustain it. Something big is going to happen," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by a leader present at the meeting.

WOOING PARTIES BEYOND THE INDIA BLOC

A source told India Today that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pointed out that there are parties outside the ambit of the INDIA bloc that are opposed to the BJP and said efforts should be made to reach out to them.

The source said Mamata referred to her political rivalry with the Left and said that despite their differences, she was coordinating with them on the issue.

"She pointed towards MA Baby, who was sitting there, and said, 'He is sitting here. He called me and I immediately returned his call. I don't care if he was my enemy or not, but we should fight together in this battle,'" the leader added.

Mamata proposed that the INDIA bloc should reach out to other groups and political parties as well. She added that she had spoken to the BJD and that they too agreed on the need to fight what she described as the "sabotaging of democracy."

There was also a mention during the meeting that some parties within the NDA may not be on the same page as the BJP on this issue.

TO PARTICIPATE OR NOT? OMAR FLAGS ELECTORAL DOUBTS

Another senior leader privy to the meeting said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah endorsed what Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had said.

Omar made a presentation and spoke about how his father had always urged people to participate in elections rather than boycott them.

"My father all his life told people, 'Don't boycott elections. This is democracy, participate in elections.' But today there is doubt. Do I have to tell people not to participate, that this election is a farce?" the leader quoted Omar Abdullah as saying.

CONSENSUS ON COLLECTIVE FIGHT

Sources said there was a broad consensus on fighting collectively and mounting pressure for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while also targeting the Prime Minister and the Home Minister over the issue.

During the discussion, it was also pointed out that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, arguing that their positions had become untenable. Leaders at the meeting heard out the Congress position.