Congress must talk about INDIA bloc status, says Shiv Sena (UBT); Raut bats for constant dialogue

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday said the Congress must talk about the status of the INDIA bloc and that it should have addressed questions about the opposition alliance in the party's recent meeting in Ahmedabad.

Talking to reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, also the executive editor of party mouthpiece 'Saamana', stressed on constant dialogue by the Congress with INDI alliance constituents, which he said has now reduced.

In an editorial in 'Saamana', the Sena (UBT) pointed out that the Congress only spoke about itself in the Ahmedabad meet, while INDIA or Bharat was nowhere in the discussion.

"Questions are being raised about where the INDIA bloc stands after the Lok Sabha election. The Congress needed to address this in its Ahmedabad session," the editorial said.

"What happened to the alliance? Did it get buried in the ground or vanish into thin air? The responsibility to answer this question lies with the Congress president," it said.

The Congress has to take the lead in fighting dictatorship, the Sena (UBT) said.

The Congress held its session on April 8-9 in Gujarat, where it has been out of power for two decades. Senior leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, addressed party workers.

The Sena (UBT) also sought to know the Congress's stand for the Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal state polls.

"Or will the party again welcome defeat?" it asked.

In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal is a senior partner, while in Gujarat and West Bengal, INDIA partners Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress will also be in the fray.

The Congress held its session in Gujarat but this did not yield any success in the state in the Lok Sabha polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

The party won one seat in the western state after 2014 and has been out of power since 1995.

It said the Congress needs to make efforts in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. While the party met with success in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls, it suffered a humiliating defeat in the state assembly polls.

"The scams of the BJP are as much responsible for this loss as the internal issues of the Congress. It has to deliberate on this," the editorial added.

Referring to the Delhi assembly polls, where the AAP and Congress faced defeat, the Sena (UBT) said some Congress leaders thought the road was clear for the party in the national capital.

If Congress uses this strategy of contesting against the INDIA bloc partners in other states, it will only help the BJP, it said.

"We have to defeat the BJP and not our friends," the party said.

The Sena (UBT) said an alliance between the Congress and AAP would have proved beneficial.