"Many Want Stalin To Lead": Udhayanidhi Amid Opposition Leadership Row

In yet another sign of a leadership tussle within the INDIA bloc, the Congress's Tamil Nadu ally DMK has said its chief MK Stalin should lead the fight against the BJP.

Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has said that leaders from other states are urging his father, Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin, to spearhead the democratic fight against the BJP. Earlier, leaders of other Opposition parties have pushed for a leadership change within the INDIA bloc, implying that Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is not up to the task.

Addressing a gathering, Udhayanidhi Stalin said MK Stalin has been setting an example, both in politics and governance. "Leaders from other states are now urging our leader to spearhead a democratic fight against the BJP," he said.

Udhayanidhi's remarks come amid the backdrop of seat-sharing talks between the DMK and the Congress ahead of the Tamil Nadu polls and could also be seen as political posturing. They also come shortly after Mani Shankar Aiyar, a veteran Congressman whom the party now distances itself from, said Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is critical to the survival of the INDIA bloc and its leader.

"Without Mamata di, the 'I', 'N', 'D', 'I', 'A' of the INDIA alliance all will be gone. Because Mamata Banerjee is the leader of this alliance," Aiyar said, adding that leaders of the DMK and Samajwadi Party could also play a leading role. Earlier, Aiyar had said Stalin was the "best man who could consolidate" the INDIA bloc.

Congress MP Imran Masood, however, has stressed that only Rahul Gandhi can lead the Opposition bloc. "I don't see anyone except Rahul Gandhi who can face these people (BJP) strongly," he said.

The INDIA Opposition bloc, formed in 2023, has been beset by the leadership question from time to time. The Congress, which managed to win 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, has since suffered setbacks in several Assembly polls, prompting voices within the Opposition to question its leadership.

Earlier, National Conference leader and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the INDIA bloc is on "life support". The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) recently said in its mouthpiece Saamana that the "leadership question must be settled". INDIA bloc allies have earlier hinted at a lack of cohesion within the Opposition camp and pointed out that meetings only before elections do not help them in the fight against the BJP.