The meeting of the INDIA bloc in New Delhi, on Monday, June 8, saw criticism of the Congress from several regional parties, introspection on the alliance’s functioning, and a decision to form a coordination committee and meet once every two months.

The meeting was attended by 23 parties but was boycotted by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which had made it clear that it could no longer remain part of the INDIA bloc after the Congress walked out of the alliance in Tamil Nadu.

According to sources, the DMK’s absence was raised during the meeting by Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. Akhilesh, Tejashwi, Left parties and others reminded the Congress that it must act as the “glue” holding the alliance together and avoid being competitive with regional allies.

Even before the meeting began, there was visible frustration with the Congress from several INDIA bloc allies, particularly leaders from the Left, Samajwadi Party (SP) and RJD.

Representatives pointed to recent remarks by Akhilesh Yadav, who had criticised the Congress for being parochial and not showing the large-heartedness expected of the biggest opposition party.

Tejashwi Yadav's concerns were also cited. He had accused some Congress leaders of being too accommodating towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially after Congress MLAs crossed over in Bihar.

The Bihar experience came up repeatedly. Allies argued that during the last Assembly election, Congress was more interested in maximising its own seats than in ensuring a winning alliance. They claimed the 15 seats contested by Congress hurt the coalition's prospects.

Several leaders........

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