Dhaval Patel, Member of Parliament from Valsad, Gujarat, on Thursday, 21 May alleged that the opposition INDIA bloc has significantly weakened following recent electoral outcomes, and that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's incendiary remarks at a public rally reflect growing frustration within the alliance's leadership.

Gandhi's Remarks That Triggered the Response

The controversy stems from a public rally held by Rahul Gandhi in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, where he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah 'traitors' and accused them of undermining democratic institutions.

Gandhi said: 'When you go back home, when these RSS workers come to you, they will talk about Narendra Modi, they will talk about Amit Shah. You look at them in the face and say, 'Your Prime Minister is a traitor, your home minister is a traitor, your organisation is a traitor. You have worked to sell out India. You have attacked our organisation, our Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, and Mahatma Gandhi.' Tell them this.'

BJP's Countercharge: Alliance in Disarray

Responding to Gandhi's remarks, Patel alleged that the INDIA bloc has 'completely fallen apart after elections' and that 'internal contradictions are now visible to everyone.' He specifically pointed to two major alliance partners — the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) — as having distanced themselves from the coalition.

Patel claimed: 'The DMK has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting separate seating arrangements, and the TMC has also publicly distanced itself from the INDIA bloc.' He argued that this breakdown has created internal instability within the Congress-led opposition alliance.

Past Remarks Revisited

Patel also invoked earlier statements by senior Congress leaders to build his case. He alleged that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had made remarks in Kerala describing Gujaratis as 'uneducated and foolish,' which he said revealed the party's attitude toward Gujarat and its people.

He further recalled that Sonia Gandhi had referred to Narendra Modi as a 'maut ka saudagar' (merchant of death) when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2007, adding that 'the people of Gujarat responded democratically to such remarks.'

Pattern of Criticism, Says BJP

Patel alleged that the repeated targeting of the Prime Minister and government institutions reflects a broader, entrenched pattern within the Indian National Congress (INC). He claimed: 'This is not new. The Congress leadership has repeatedly used such language against India's leadership and institutions. The opposition alliance has lost coherence after the elections. The mandate of the people is clear, and attempts to distort it through statements or alliances will not succeed.'

The remarks underscore the deepening fault lines within the opposition coalition as it navigates a post-election realignment, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking to capitalise on every sign of fracture.