'INDIA Bloc On Life Support': Omar Abdullah Exposes Cracks In Opposition Alliance

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has exposed cracks within the INDIA bloc, blaming the alliance for driving seasoned politician Nitish Kumar to the BJP-led NDA—a switch that left the opposition weakened in Bihar. The BJP said that Abdullah's remarks served as a "reality check," but the opposition will still ignore the wake-up call.

"I believe that we pushed Nitish Kumar back into the arms of the NDA," Abdullah said at the HT Leadership Summit today, referring to the Bihar Chief Minister's efforts towards building the INDIA bloc in 2023 with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Abdullah, whose National Conference party holds power in J&K and has been part of the opposition bloc, recalled being part of a meeting where Kumar was snubbed for the post of the convenor of the alliance.

"I was part of that meeting where we were discussing whether we should make him the convenor of the INDIA bloc. And we effectively, without taking names, suggested, with Nitish Kumar sitting in the meeting, that another leader would have the power of veto (on that)," said the J&K chief minister.

Kumar's JDU had switched to the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after a brief partnership with the RJD. A united NDA swept the Bihar elections this year, leaving both the RJD and the Congress with their record low results.

"We are sort of on life support," Abdullah said when it was pointed out that some constituents of the alliance have been calling it "dead already."

Pointing out that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was not part of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, he asked, "Hypothetically speaking, if tomorrow they were to up and leave (the INDIA bloc at the national level), who's at fault?"

Abdullah also sought clarity on the functioning of the bloc. "We should continue to function like one; otherwise, we are a state-specific alliance," he said, "But if we call ourselves the INDIA bloc, then you need to be more holistic."

"The BJP fought and contested elections like their lives depended on them, whereas we (INDIA bloc) fight as if we don't care. We are not as committed to the 24X7 cycle of the elections and campaigning as compared to the NDA," he lambasted the bloc.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said Abdullah's remarks showed a "mirror of reality" to the INDIA alliance. 

"Omar Abdullah of the National Conference has shown a mirror of reality, a reality check for the INDI alliance. He acknowledges how the INDI alliance pushed out Nitish Kumar. He acknowledges how the Mahagatbandhan in Bihar was unfair to the JMM, and they are bound to have some kind of disappointment and may also leave," he said.

"But will they wake up and smell the coffee? No. It's an alliance of convenience," he added, slamming the bloc as a "figment of imagination" that is built on commission, corruption, and ambition.