INDIA Bloc: United Against Modi But Divided Among Themselves

NewsBharati    09-May-2026 14:48:35 PM   
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The much-advertised INDIA bloc was always less of a political alliance and more of a temporary refugee camp for anti-BJP parties terrified by the rise of Narendra Modi and the electoral dominance of the Bharatiya Janata Party. It had no ideological coherence, no common national vision, no agreed leadership structure and no programme beyond one negative objective  “Stop Modi.” The recent Assembly election outcomes and the growing rebellion within alliance partners have now exposed the INDIA bloc as a collapsing political arrangement built entirely on opportunism.

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The latest and perhaps most humiliating crack has emerged from Tamil Nadu. The Indian National Congress has supported Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the political platform associated with actor Vijay, and has shaken the alliance foundations in the state. Congress' move toward supporting TVK amounts to a direct betrayal of its decades-old ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The DMK has reacted very sharply, criticising it as "stabbing in the back". The DMK has even asked for separate sitting arrangements in Parliament, showing its bitterness.
This is not a routine political adjustment. It is a declaration that Congress itself no longer trusts the durability of its alliances. The party appears desperate for political oxygen and is now willing to undermine even long-standing partners if it senses survival benefits. The message to INDIA bloc allies is loud and unmistakable. And the message is "Congress can abandon anyone when politically convenient". That explains the growing distrust within the alliance.
 
The INDIA bloc was projected as a grand democratic coalition. In reality, it was a gathering of regional satraps with mutually conflicting ambitions. In West Bengal, the All India Trinamool Congress and Congress are rivals. In Punjab, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party attack each other daily. In Kerala, Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are bitter ideological and electoral enemies. In Uttar Pradesh, the alliance between Congress and Samajwadi Party remains driven more by caste arithmetic than political chemistry.
These contradictions were temporarily hidden during parliamentary elections because every party wanted to maximise anti-BJP votes. But Assembly elections exposed the truth. Regional parties are unwilling to sacrifice their own future merely to protect Congress from irrelevance. Congress, on the other hand, fears becoming permanently dependent on stronger regional allies. The result is predictable. ANti-BJP alliance is gripped by suspicion, sabotage and silent rebellion.
 

 The Tamil Nadu episode has therefore become symbolic of the entire INDIA bloc crisis. Congress knows that in states dominated by strong regional players, it has become politically subordinate. Supporting TVK is not merely about Tamil Nadu calculations; it reflects Congress’ frustration with being reduced to a junior partner almost everywhere outside a few pockets. But, by exploring alternatives against DMK, Congress has also demonstrated why its allies no longer consider it trustworthy.
 
The reactions emerging from INDIA bloc partners reveal deep discomfort. Leaders from various regional formations have repeatedly accused Congress of arrogance, indecisiveness and electoral selfishness. Several allies privately complain that Congress wants the benefits of coalition politics without respecting regional realities. The distrust is no longer hidden behind public smiles and joint press conferences.
 
For the DMK leadership, any Congress flirtation with TVK would be viewed as outright political dishonesty. After years of standing together against BJP, such a move would prove that ideology inside the INDIA bloc is entirely transactional. The alliance talks about secularism and constitutional values in Delhi, but on the ground, parties are prepared to destroy each other for survival.
 
This is precisely why the BJP continues to dominate national politics. Unlike the INDIA bloc, the NDA under Narendra Modi offers clarity of leadership, ideological confidence and organisational discipline. Voters may agree or disagree with BJP policies, but they know what the party stands for. The INDIA bloc, by contrast, stands only against something  never for something.
 
A coalition founded primarily on hatred cannot sustain itself for long. Opposition parties believed anti-Modi sentiment alone would create political momentum. Instead, Modi’s leadership became the very force exposing their contradictions. The BJP’s rise has forced regional parties to protect their own turf first, making national opposition unity almost impossible.
 
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Recent Assembly election trends have further weakened the opposition morale. Every defeat intensifies blame games within the alliance. Congress accuses regional allies of weak transfers of votes. Regional parties accuse Congress of lacking grassroots strength. Smaller parties fear complete marginalisation. There is no emotional or ideological glue holding the coalition together.
 
Moreover, the INDIA bloc suffers from a leadership vacuum. No ally genuinely accepts Congress supremacy anymore. No regional leader is willing to submit to another regional leader. Unlike the BJP, where leadership questions are settled decisively, the opposition ecosystem remains trapped in permanent insecurity and ego clashes. The Tamil Nadu developments merely bring this reality into public view.
 
 
The irony is striking. The INDIA bloc was formed claiming that democracy itself was under threat. But the alliance is collapsing not because of BJP pressure, but because of its own internal contradictions, ambition wars and absence of ideological honesty. Parties that cannot trust each other cannot ask the nation to trust them.
Congress support to TVK, keeping DMK aside, sends a larger message. The message: the INDIA bloc is no longer a functioning political coalition. It is now a fragmented collection of nervous regional parties trying to secure survival before the next electoral storm.
 
The alliance may continue formally on paper. Leaders may still share stages and issue statements against BJP. But politically, psychologically and strategically, the collapse has already begun.
Bharatiya Janata Party Congress TVK DMK West Bengal Congress Indian National Congress NDA