NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Opposition's INDIA bloc meeting, the rumblings in the alliance deepened as CPI (M) shot off a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, strongly criticising the conduct of the party, the largest in the bloc.
It comes a day after another main constituent, DMK, announced that it will boycott the India bloc meeting to be held in New Delhi on June 8 since the Congress party will be participating in it. The Dravidian major said it will not participate in the meeting to respect the sentiments of its cadres who were deeply hurt by the betrayal of the Congress party.
In his letter to Kharge, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby has sought clarification from the Congress on claims made by some of its leaders during the Kerala Assembly election campaign that the Left party had an understanding with the BJP.
"I have been informed by KC Venugopal about the meeting of the INDIA bloc parties to be held on June 8, 2026. In this connection I would like to cite a recent political development during the assembly elections. There was a systematic campaign by the Congress leadership during the Kerala Assembly elections, in which the CPI(M) and the BJP have struck a deal.
"Further, it was alleged that the CPI(M)'s senior leader, Member of the Polit Bureau and then Chief Minister, Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan, had also struck a deal with Modi. The question was posed, 'Otherwise, why is it that he has not been interrogated or arrested by the Enforcement Directorate?'
"These were not stray remarks made in the heat of an election campaign, but were the centrepiece of your political campaign. Every national leader, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and yourself, made such allegations repeatedly," said Baby in the letter.
Copies of the letter were also sent to other INDIA bloc partners, said sources.
Such charges, he said, were incompatible with the spirit of cooperation that underpinned the INDIA bloc. Baby also pointed out that the INDIA bloc was constituted as a broad platform to politically fight the BJP and that parties with diverse ideologies and programmes, which are electoral rivals in several states, came together for this purpose.
He added that the CPI(M) had worked consistently since the alliance's inception in 2023 to strengthen opposition unity.
Questioning the Congress' position, Baby noted that the party simultaneously partnered with the CPI(M) at the national level while accusing it of collusion with the BJP in Kerala, and said this could not be taken lightly.
Meanwhile, another alliance partner, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has openly expressed its dissatisfaction over Congress’s decision to unilaterally announce its candidate, AICC secretary Pranav Jha, for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from the state.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc are set to meet on Monday at the Constitution Club in the national capital. The Opposition parties are expected to discuss a coordinated strategy on issues such as the NEET row, concerns over CBSE exams, unemployment, inflation, among other issues.
According to sources, 15 Opposition parties are likely to attend the meeting, including Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
While NCP is unlikely to be physically represented at the meeting, according to sources, one of its leaders may join virtually. The Shiv Sena (UBT), is expected to attend.
CPM's M A Baby may not attend the meeting; instead, the party is expected to be represented by a senior leader.
A weakened TMC, a disengaged DMK, and a cautious AAP present a fragmented picture for the alliance. The outcome of the meeting will be closely watched, as the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament will be the first major test of opposition unity after the setbacks in the recent assembly polls.