Rahul Gandhi's Comments On RSS And CPI(M) Create Discord Within Opposition Alliance
Speaking at a memorial event for former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Kottayam on Friday, Gandhi declared that he opposes both organizations ideologically, criticizing them for their alleged disconnect from common people. He stated that while he engages with both groups intellectually and through discourse, his primary grievance lies in their supposed lack of empathy toward citizens.
Gandhi emphasized the importance of emotional connection in politics, suggesting that politicians should genuinely understand and respond to public sentiment. He characterized the absence of such empathy as a significant problem plaguing contemporary Indian political discourse.
The remarks triggered immediate backlash from Left leaders during the alliance meeting. CPI leader D Raja reportedly raised concerns about such comparisons without directly naming Gandhi, arguing that equating the Left with the RSS could confuse party workers and undermine the coalition's solidarity. Other participants reminded attendees of the INDIA bloc's founding principle of "Save the Country, Remove BJP," cautioning against statements that might foster internal conflicts.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby issued a particularly sharp rebuke, calling Gandhi's comments "unfortunate" and indicative of poor understanding regarding both organizations' roles in Kerala and national politics. Baby reminded Gandhi of historical cooperation, specifically noting how Left parties' support was crucial for forming the Congress-led UPA government in 2004 when Congress lacked a parliamentary majority.
Baby also pointed to Gandhi's own electoral history in Wayanad, where he faced a CPI candidate rather than RSS or BJP opposition. This reference highlighted what Baby perceived as inconsistencies in Gandhi's political positioning. The CPI(M) leader emphasized that while his party has criticized Congress on economic policies, such critiques have been conducted in a "friendly manner" without drawing false equivalencies between Congress and BJP.
The controversy underscores the complex dynamics within the INDIA bloc, where national alliance partners often remain regional rivals. In Kerala, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and Congress-led United Democratic Front continue competing directly, while BJP attempts to establish stronger presence in the state.
Despite these tensions, the virtual meeting addressed several collaborative initiatives for the upcoming Parliament Monsoon Session. Alliance partners agreed to jointly raise issues including the recent Pahalgam attack and concerns about electoral roll revisions in Bihar. The bloc is organizing protest demonstrations at Jantar Mantar on July 23-24 to address voting rights concerns, with planning details being finalized.
This incident reflects broader challenges facing opposition unity efforts, where ideological differences and regional political realities sometimes clash with national coalition requirements. The response from Left leaders suggests that maintaining alliance cohesion will require more careful messaging from prominent figures like Gandhi, particularly when addressing sensitive political relationships.
The timing of these remarks, coming during a memorial service for a respected Congress leader, has added another layer of controversy to an already delicate situation within the opposition ranks.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Not viable': Bhubaneswar metro project hangs in balance as Odisha govt cancels tender
Uncertainty looms over the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project after the Odisha government has cancelled the tender for the ambitious urban mobility project initiated by the erstwhile Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government. Odisha's Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra said the decision to cancel the tender was taken in view of delay in implementation and to avoid cost escalation. 'The metro project initiated by the previous government wouldn't have been viable. Our government has formed an inter-minister committee to take a fresh look into the project by studying different aspects, its viability and to submit a fresh proposal before the project,' said the urban development minister. Mohapatra said the state government would take up the project in consultation with the Centre unlike the BJD government that had decided to take it on its own. Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone of the project on January 1, 2024, months before the simultaneous polls. It was estimated to spend a whopping Rs 6,300 crore to develop the first phase of the project with a length of 26 km from Bhubaneswar Airport to Trisulia near Orissa high court in Cuttack with 20 stations and to extend it to Puri, Khurda and Cuttack subsequently. It was decided to develop the metro rail track and stations on elevated viaduct. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was roped in by the Odisha government to implement the project that floated the tender and engaged different agencies to take up the project. Though ground work for the metro project was started, it hit hurdles after the BJP assumed power in Odisha on June 24. Taking a dig at the BJP government over cancellation of the metro project as he said the double-engine government has 'betrayed' the people of Odisha and the decision will push Bhubaneswar 10 years back. 'It has always been our dream to develop #Bhubaneswar into a world-class city. We have been focusing on world class sports infrastructure, organising marquee international events, providing seamless modern transport and developing the IT ecosystem to transform the temple city into a world class city,' wrote Patnaik on X. Patnaik, in his post, wrote that the Bhubaneswar metro project would have reshaped the way city moves with #MoBus and other last mile connectivity complementing the city transport. 'Apart from alleviating congestion inside the city significantly, it would have been a huge catalyst for the expansion of the city. Realising the urgent need of a Metro System for enhanced mobility, we had set a watertight timeline of 2027 for Phase 1 of the project,' he noted.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Lok Sabha to hold special discussion on 'Operation Sindoor' today
Lok Sabha is set to hold a special discussion on 'Operation Sindoor', India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack on Monday. A fiery debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor is expected to unfold in Parliament, between top leaders from the ruling alliance and the Opposition. Lok Sabha List of Business for Monday states, "Special Discussion on India's strong, successful and decisive 'Operation Sindoor' in response to terrorist attack in Pahalgam". Twenty-six civilians were killed in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, after which India retaliated through precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Meanwhile, the first week of the Monsoon session of Parliament witnessed major disruptions with the surprise resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar as Vice President. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to initiate the discussion on Operation Sindhoor in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Sources said that Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey are also expected to take part in the discussion in Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to intervene in the discussion in the Lok Sabha. He may also intervene in the discussion in the Rajya Sabha. Sources said discussion on Operation Sindoor will begin in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar will be among ministers who will take part in the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, sources said. TDP's Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and GM Harish Balayogi are expected to participate in the discussion on Op Sindoor in the Lok Sabha. The sources said the party has been allotted 30 minutes. From the Samajwadi Party, its chief Akhilesh Yadav, and MP Rajiv Rai will participate in the debate. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the debate on Operation Sindoor will be held for 16 hours in the Lok Sabha on July 28 and for 16 hours in the Rajya Sabha on July 29. "All issues cannot be discussed together... The opposition has raised several issues, like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar and others. We have told them that Operation Sindoor will be discussed first. We will decide which issues to discuss after that. Operation Sindoor will be debated for 16 hours in the Lok Sabha on Monday (July 28) and for 16 hours in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (July 29)," Rijiju told reporters. Opposition parties have been demanding a discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor and have sought the government's clarification over US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The Opposition parties had been demanding PM Modi's presence during the debate. Since PM Modi travelled abroad on a two-nation visit this week, the discussion has been scheduled for next week. Apart from this, the floor leaders of the INDIA bloc parties will meet on Monday at 10 am to discuss the strategy for the second week of the monsoon session, with the Lok Sabha slated to take up discussion on Operation Sindoor on Monday and the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mint
2 minutes ago
- Mint
Supreme Court may hear Delhi Govt's plea against blanket ban on overage vehicles today
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the blanket ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai is likely to hear the plea today. The plea seeks to recall the top court's October 29, 2018, order upholding the National Green Tribunal's initial directive. The plea submitted that a comprehensive policy is required to tackle pollution in Delhi-NCR, which gives vehicle fitness based on actual emission levels of individual vehicles as per scientific methods rather than implementing a blanket ban based solely on age. The plea seeks a comprehensive study by the Centre and CAQM to assess the actual environmental benefits of age-based restrictions versus emission-based criteria. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said last week that pollution levels of vehicles should be determined based on their usage rather than their age, ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the End-of-Life (EoL) vehicle policy. "There are many vehicles that have aged, but because they haven't been used much, their pollution levels are lower. There are so many new vehicles whose age is less but have been used a lot; so we believe that the parameter to determine pollution levels must be the use of the vehicle instead of its age," Sirsa told news agency ANI. On July 24, a bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran agreed to examine whether BS-VI compliant vehicles should have an end-of-life limit of 15 years for petrol vehicles and 10 years for diesel vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region. The apex court had earlier directed the transport departments of states in the National Capital Region (NCR) that all diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old shall not ply in terms of order of the NGT order. "All vehicles, diesel or petrol, which are more than 15 years old shall not be permitted to ply on the roads and wherever such vehicles of this age are noticed, the concerned authorities shall take appropriate steps in accordance with law, including seizure of the vehicles in accordance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act. "The vehicles which are more than 15 years old, will not be permitted to be parked in any public area, and they shall be towed away and challenged by the police in accordance with the law. This direction would be applicable to all vehicles without exception i.e. two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers, light vehicles and heavy vehicles irrespective of whether commercial or otherwise," the NGT said in its November 26, 2014, order. Recently, the Delhi government implemented 'No fuel for 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles' from July 1, 2025, in compliance with the mandate from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). However, within two days of its implementation, the city government, facing public ire, put it on hold, citing 'operational and infrastructural challenges' as the reasons. Key Takeaways The Delhi government's vehicle age ban has been put on hold due to public backlash. The government argues for a more scientific approach to vehicle emissions based on usage, not age. The Supreme Court will review the implications of the ban and consider a comprehensive study.
