INDIA irked: Why Mamata Banerjee eyes Rahul Gandhi's job, with Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav on her side
India TodayThe Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, a coalition heralded as the most promising Opposition front to counter the BJP’s political dominance, is now riddled with fractures that seem to be growing deeper by the day. Rahul’s repeated attacks on Savarkar, a highly polarising figure, drew sharp criticism from the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, and the Nationalist Congress Party, led by Sharad Pawar. While the allegations against Adani are serious and have rattled the Narendra Modi government, allies like Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and even Aam Aadmi Party leaders believe that overemphasis on the issue is a strategic mistake. While the Congress has initiated campaigns like ‘EVM Jagao Yatra’, the TMC and the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah-led National Conference have dismissed the allegations as baseless and counterproductive. The Congress’s diminishing electoral returns and inability to maintain alliance cohesion have opened the door for regional leaders like Mamata to claim the mantle of leadership.