New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former union minister P Chidambaram has asserted that Opposition's Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) future is not so bright and it seems to be "frail".
The Congress veteran, however, categorically said that if the INDIA alliance is totally intact he would be very happy. In his address on the occasion of launching a book titled 'Contesting Democratic Deficit: An inside story of the 2024 Elections by senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and Mrityunjay Singh Yadav here on Thursday, Chidambaram said, "The future is not so bright as Mr Mrityunjay Singh Yadav said. He seemed to feel that the INDIA alliance is still intact. I am not sure, its only Salman Khurshid can answer, because he was the part of the negotiating team of the INDIA alliance."
Notably, Khurshid was part of the Congress' panel which discussed seat sharing with the other parties of the INDIA bloc in 2024 general elections. Referring to the Opposition block, Chidambaram said, "If the INDIA alliance is totally intact, I would be very happy.But it seems frail. It can be put together, still there is time."
"If you want to take on the formidable BJP machinery, in my experience and reading of history, there has been no political party which is formidably organised as the BJP. In every department, its formidable. It's not another political party," he said.
Without naming, the former union minister further said, "Behind which there are two machines which control all the machinery of India." "From the Election Commission of India to the lowest police station in India. They are able to control or sometimes capture these institutions. Its a formidable machinery as much as can be allowed in democracy. This formidable machinery must be fought on all fronts," he said.
In a veiled attack on the ruling BJP, Chidambaram said, "We are not a full-fledged democracy no more. We are an electoral democracy and the best results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is that nobody can undermine elections in India. You can interfere with the elections . You can tinker with elections. But, you can't get rid of elections."
The Congress has been accusing the saffron party of capturing all the institutions across the country and attacking the Constitution. Referring to Congress' "Save the Constitution ' campaign in Lok Sabha polls, Chidambaram said, " The message penetrated even the most rural parts of India. People understood that the Constitution is precious and that is why the tide turned. Congress won 99 seats".
He also asserted that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections will be critical. "2029 Lok Sabha elections are critical. 2024 Lok Sabha elections stopped the formidable machinery from running over everything. The next elections we don't know where it would go. It may take decisive turn to strengthen this formidable machinery and then we are beyond repair. 2029 elections must return us to to a full-fledged democracy," the former Union minister said.
Chidambaram also congratulated Khurshid and Yadav for writing a detailed account of the last general elections. "The last Lok Sabha elections were held 12 months ago. I am glad that they sat down and wrote this book. I congratulate both of them for producing contemporary and authentic record of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," he said.
