Congress MP Rahul Gandhi thinks that the ruling NDA alliance and the Modi 3.0 government will “struggle” to survive and that India’s political landscape has undergone a “tectonic shift” after the Lok Sabha election results were declared on June 4.
Talking to Financial Times, one of his first interviews since winning both the Wayanad and Rae Bareli seats in the elections, Gandhi said, “The space in the Indian political system has been blown open. A tectonic shift has taken place in Indian politics.”
The grand old party’s performance along with the support of ally partners of the INDIA bloc performed better than what the exit polls had shown. Although the BJP-led NDA secured a majority, the opposition bloc won more seats than in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, with the ruling party losing two of the biggest states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra to INDI Alliance.
‘Great discontent within Modi camp’
Nitish Kumar’s RJD in Bihar and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP in Andhra Pradesh emerged as kingmakers in the National Democratic Alliance, with both the parties holding considerable share needed to cross the majority mark.
“The numbers are such that they are very fragile, and the smallest disturbance can drop the government,” the Rae Bareli MP said adding that it will only take one of the allies to turn the other way.
While both Kumar and Naidu have reiterated their support to NDA, Gandhi claims that there is “great discontent” within the Modi camp and that were “people who are in touch with us (Congress).”
‘The coalition will struggle’
Gandhi, who recently relinquished his Wayanad seat and decided to be the MP of Rae Bareli, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for running a “hate” campaign.
“The idea that you can spread hatred, you can spread anger and you can reap benefits of that — the Indian people have rejected it in this election. That’s also why the coalition will struggle because what worked for Mr Narendra Modi in 2014 and 2019 is not working.”
“The judicial system, the media, the institutional framework — all were shut [for the opposition], and so we decided we have to literally, physically go do it,” Gandhi added.
With inputs from Financial Times
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NDA coalition will struggle, what worked for Modi in 2014, 2019 is not working: Rahul Gandhi to FT
