“There is nothing left in INDIA bloc”: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale predicts crumbling of Opposition bloc

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 29 (ANI): Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday hit out at the INDIA bloc formed to take on the Narendra Modi-led Centre in the upcoming general elections, foreseeing a brief existence for the opposition bloc with the Congress remaining the only party in the group.

Speaking to ANI, the Union Minister said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, one of the biggest faces in the bloc, had also left the INDIA bloc a day before.

“Nitish Kumar was one of the biggest faces of the INDIA alliance, but he joined the NDA. Mamata Banerjee has announced that TMC will contest all seats of West Bengal. AAP wants to fight alone in Punjab… AAP will fight alone in Haryana as well. There is nothing left in the INDIA alliance… In the end, only Congress will remain…” he said.

On Sunday, Nitish Kumar took the oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time in Raj Bhawan, Patna, switching sides again, this time with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

JDU leader Nitish Kumar’s move to end his alliance with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal to revive his tie-up with the BJP comes as a massive setback to the INDIA bloc months before it takes on the formidable BJP in Lok Sabha polls.

Nitish Kumar, after parting ways with the BJP in 2022, took on the initiative of uniting all opposition forces to jointly take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party in the national election.

It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar had jumped the ship, his fifth crossover in a little over a decade, preceding his ninth time as chief minister.

Two Deputy CMs from the BJP, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and six other ministers, including Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Shrawan Kumar, and others, also took the oath today.

Nitish Kumar cited the state of affairs being “not right” under the Mahagathbandhan alliance as his reason for quitting. He said that he has been receiving suggestions from everywhere, including his party workers, and he listened to all of them to come to this decision.

“I have resigned as the CM today and have asked the Governor to put an end to this government. Party leaders were giving me advice. I heard what they said and have resigned. The situation was not good. So, we have broken ties,” Nitish Kumar told reporters outside the Raj Bhavan.