Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s autobiography ‘Ungalil Oruvan’ (One among you) Part I was released recently by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
The autobiography however talks about the infamous Emergency period when Stalin had to go to jail just like many other opposition leaders. Despite being a part of the UPA, Stalin has mentioned the Emergency era in his autobiography. But this is hardly the first time when a Congress ally has put the INC in a tight spot.
GFP blames Congress for the delay in forming an alliance
During the recently-concluded Goa Assembly polls, the BJP managed to retain the state.
Read more: Why BJP will win Goa, but AAP will replace Congress as the opposition
A war of words soon broke out between the grand old party and its ally Goa Forward Party (GFP). Congress’ North Goa district president Vijai Bhike said, “I think we made a wrong decision by tying up with the Goa Forward Party as the alliance did not benefit Congress in any way but another party took advantage of it.”
This obviously didn’t go down well with the GFP. GFP candidate Deepak Kalangutkar (Mandrem), therefore, said, “One should recall that GFP president Vijai Sardesai had given a call for forming Team Goa (alliance) against BJP in 2020. However, Congress leaders didn’t act on it until Sardesai met Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and the alliance was forged for the 2022 polls.”
Kalangutkar also said that even after a meeting between Sardesai and Rahul Gandhi, local leaders of Congress insisted that the “alliance is yet to be announced”, which created doubts about the poll coalition between the two parties.
The GFP candidate concluded, “If the alliance had been forged one-and-a-half years ago, the results would have been different.”
When IUML condemned an ‘attempt to please all’
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has been a long-time UPA ally. However, following the poll debacle in the Kerala Assembly elections last year, the IUML had some harsh words for Congress.
In its state working committee meeting convened after the polls, IUML expressed dissatisfaction over the INC’s stance on minorities. The party felt that the grand old party’s stand on controversial remarks of Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, and the minority scholarship issue wasn’t stern but an attempt ‘an attempt to please all.’
UDF, another ally of the Congress in Kerala too didn’t seem very enthusiastic about INC’s future prospects in the state.
When Congress was slammed for poor show in Bihar Assembly polls
The state of Bihar went to the polls in 2020. The NDA emerged victorious with 125 seats.
On the other hand, the RJD-led grand alliance could only win 110 seats in the 243-member Assembly. The INC, in fact, won only 19 out of the 70 seats that it was allocated. And after that, it became an uphill task for the RJD to reach the majority mark despite winning 75 out of the 144 seats that it contested.
After poll results were announced, RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwari said Rahul Gandhi failed to woo voters.
When Akhilesh Yadav called Congress “Sabse Dhokebaaz” Party
Technically, this wasn’t the case of an ally criticising the Congress. It was more about a past ally criticising the INC.
In 2017, the SP and the grand old party joined hands to contest the UP Assembly polls. The SP-Congress alliance however failed to shine, winning only 54 seats in the 403-member Assembly.
Read more: SP and Congress partnership will ensure BJP’s victory
Therefore, in 2019, Akhilesh called the Congress “sabse dhokebaaz” party. After Rahul Gandhi said that the SP and the BSP were afraid of PM Modi because he has the CBI and the ED with him, Akhilesh hit back at the INC.
The SP leader said, “Those Congress people who are saying that we are afraid of ED and CBI, we are in fact not afraid of any organisation. Congress itself got an investigation done on us. The person who filed the PIL belongs to Congress. Big leaders of Congress gave money to get PIL filed against Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and our family. That person is still a part of Congress. When the investigation got over and the matter came up for review, that person joined hands with BJP.”
For the BJP, this becomes a major advantage. The INC keeps getting berated by its allies. So, the BJP leaders don’t even have to make an effort to condemn it.