DMK to Skip INDIA Bloc Meeting , Meeting Scheduled for Today
NEW DELHI : Leaders of the INDIA bloc are meeting in the national capital on June 8. They will discuss a shared strategy to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and strengthen opposition unity. However, rifts have already begun to emerge within the opposition camp ahead of the meeting. This gathering follows recent assembly elections in which two key allies of the INDIA bloc—the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the DMK—lost power in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, respectively.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh announced on social media that 23 political parties have confirmed their participation in the opposition INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for tomorrow at Delhi’s Constitution Club. He noted that while some parties have informed him they cannot attend due to their own reasons, they remain staunchly opposed to the Modi government’s “policies and actions.” Ramesh alleged that these actions and policies are “stripping millions of Indians of their right to vote, constantly attacking the Constitution, and targeting opposition leaders through the use of investigative agencies.”
He added several other points to the opposition alliance’s list of grievances, such as “harming livelihoods, disrupting household budgets through persistent inflation, betraying the hopes and aspirations of millions of youths, undermining the investment climate, and compromising national interests through its foreign policy.” The Congress leader stated, “Just like India itself, the INDIA bloc stands united despite its diversity.”
Those not attending the meeting include Tamil Nadu’s DMK (led by M.K. Stalin) and Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) (led by Arvind Kejriwal); both leaders are former Chief Ministers. In Tamil Nadu, the DMK severed ties with the Congress after the latter formed an alliance with TVK, the party of actor-turned-politician Vijay Chalapathi. Relations have deteriorated to such an extent that the DMK demanded separate seating arrangements from the Congress in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha—a request that has been granted.
This time, the INDIA alliance meeting is taking place at a neutral venue, whereas the previous two meetings were held at the residences of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party MP Rahul Gandhi.The meeting scheduled for tomorrow was convened at the behest of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. Both the West Bengal Chief Minister and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, will participate in it. She requires the support of the INDIA alliance—and the Congress in particular—to counter the BJP in Bengal.
According to sources, Mamata Banerjee does not wish to contest any assembly election under the current circumstances, even though by-elections are due for two seats in Bengal: Suvendu Adhikari’s Nandigram seat and Humayun Jahangir’s Rejinagar seat. Nevertheless, should she decide to contest, any Trinamool MLA could vacate their seat for her.There is speculation that she has no interest in assembly elections because she intends to contest the Lok Sabha election. A by-election is due for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the demise of Haji Nurul Islam; this is the same constituency from which Nusrat Jahan won in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced that it will boycott the upcoming meeting of INDIA bloc parties scheduled for June 8, 2026, at the Constitution Club in New Delhi. In a strongly worded statement, the DMK said this decision was taken to respect the sentiments of its cadres, who are deeply hurt by the “betrayal” committed by the Congress following the recent Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The DMK stated that the Congress—which had won five seats as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance—unilaterally severed ties with the Dravidian party after the election and joined a coalition government led by the TVK. The statement said, “Since the inception of the INDIA bloc, the DMK has been a key strength.” The party held the Congress entirely responsible for its decision to stay away from the upcoming high-level meeting of the INDIA bloc; however, the DMK stated that it remains committed to broad opposition unity on national issues. Girish Chodankar, the AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, had told reporters that the DMK remains a crucial part of the INDIA bloc.
