INDIA bloc together in rallies, separate in elections: JDU's attack

According to The Hindu report, questions were raised on Sunday by the Janata Dal (United) against the unity of the INDIA bloc parties. It was stated by the party that opposition parties gather for rallies and meetings but fight against each other in elections. JDU national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad made this statement on Sunday, 1 November 2026. JDU believes that there is no justification in continuing an alliance that has no leadership, common agenda, and consensus on issues.

According to The Hindu, reacting to the slogans of “Remove Modi, Save Democracy” at the rally, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told PTI that the Congress should understand the public mandate and respect democratic processes. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been given a mandate by the public for a third consecutive term, while on the other hand, Congress has got the mandate to sit in the opposition. It is imperative for the Congress to understand the essence of this mandate and respect the process of democracy.

This statement came after the address delivered by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the rally on the alleged “vote theft” issue. He accused the BJP governments at the Centre as well as in Bihar, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh of being formed with a “stolen” mandate and demanded the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save democracy. In this rally, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also warned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will face legal action in the alleged vote theft matter. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from his post in the future and will be sentenced to imprisonment for “treason”.

According to PTI Videos reports, reacting to the speech of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the INDIA bloc rally, JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said that he did not mention the results of Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, or Kerala, nor did he raise any questions on them. He only talked about Bihar, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and West Bengal, where they are losing. He further added that the public is no longer taking the allegations made by Congress and its allies very seriously.

Reacting to the allegations of Congress, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad stated that Rahul Gandhi is weakening his own political relevance and under his leadership, a large national party like Congress has shrunk to such an extent that its return to the mainstream will not be easy. Questioning the unity among the constituents of the INDIA bloc, he stated that opposition parties come together in rallies and meetings but fight against each other in elections.

Rajiv Ranjan Prasad gave many examples of this, such as elections being contested against each other by Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on 8 seats of the Bihar Legislative Council. He also mentioned the electoral contest that took place in Punjab between Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), while AAP was a part of the INDIA bloc. Prasad also mentioned the long electoral rivalry in Kerala between the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). He stated that these fronts are also considered a part of the INDIA bloc, and if there is no agreement on leadership, programs, or common issues, there is no reason to continue such an alliance.

On Kharge's allegation that Bihar's mandate was “stolen”, Prasad said that the public has supported the alliance of JDU Chief Nitish Kumar's leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity. The extraordinary achievements of former Chief Minister and JDU National President Nitish Kumar's 20 years of service and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been wholeheartedly accepted by the people of Bihar. The public has given a massive mandate of more than 200 seats to this alliance, while Congress has remained confined to around just half a dozen seats.

He stated that it is extremely unfortunate that Congress is trying to defame Bihar's mandate and urged Congress to introspect. He warned that if Congress tries to defame Bihar's mandate now, nothing could be more unfortunate than that. Congress will have to understand the mood of the public and if it fails to do so and is not ready to introspect, it remains to be seen whether it will even maintain the post of leader of opposition in the next 50 years.