The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday criticised the INDIA bloc following its meeting in Delhi, with Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleging that the opposition grouping lacked a clear direction and was divided over leadership. Chouhan claimed that several parties did not participate in the meeting and argued that the developments reflected disagreements within the bloc over Rahul Gandhi's leadership.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Chouhan cited the absence of the DMK and AAP, along with the participation of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray virtually. He also referred to Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav's absence, which the opposition party attributed to the ongoing Rajya Sabha nomination process in Uttar Pradesh. Chouhan used the attendance pattern to argue that the INDIA bloc was facing internal differences.

The BJP leader also criticised the opposition's proposed joint agitation against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. The INDIA bloc leaders met in Delhi to discuss an action plan, including marches and other programmes between October 2 and October 8. Congress leaders have maintained that the opposition is united in its efforts to protect constitutional institutions and has raised concerns over the voter-list revision process.

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Several senior opposition leaders attended the meeting, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and leaders from the Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPI(M), NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) were also present. The Congress has accused the BJP-led government of repeatedly undermining democratic institutions, while the ruling party has rejected those allegations.

Chouhan defended the SIR exercise, arguing that accurate electoral rolls are essential for the functioning of democracy. He questioned the opposition's objections to removing names in cases involving deceased voters, duplicate entries or people who are not eligible to vote. The minister also accused opposition parties of targeting the Election Commission and questioning electoral processes after failing to dislodge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP from power.

The BJP leader further criticised the Congress over its record on democratic institutions, referring to the Emergency and the dismissal of elected state governments during earlier Congress-led administrations. He also accused the opposition of using the “vote chori” allegation for political purposes, while the Congress has maintained that concerns over voter-list revisions require scrutiny. The competing claims come as the opposition prepares joint programmes against the SIR exercise and the BJP continues to defend the electoral-roll revision process.

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