Following the INDIA bloc’s strong performance in the recently concluded by-polls in seven states, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram expressed optimism on Sunday, stating that the “wind is behind the sails of the INDIA bloc.”
In an interview with ANI, Chidambaram noted that the by-elections reflect a public sentiment against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He stated, “The by-elections show that the mood of the people is against the BJP. But where the structure of the Congress party is weak, I’m afraid that the ‘mood’ alone would not help. We have to work in states where the structure of the party is weak.” He added, “But by and large, the wind is behind the sails of the INDIA bloc.”
Out of the by-polls held in 13 assembly constituencies across seven states, the INDIA bloc secured 10 seats, while the BJP won two seats, and an independent candidate took one seat. The by-polls took place in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur, Nalagarh, and Dehra; West Bengal’s Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda, and Maniktala; Badrinath and Manglaur in Uttarakhand; Jalandhar West in Punjab; Rupauli in Bihar; Vikravandi in Tamil Nadu; and Amarwara in Madhya Pradesh.
The parties comprising the INDIA bloc that fielded candidates in these constituencies included the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won two seats (Nalagarh and Dehra) while the BJP took one seat (Hamirpur). In West Bengal, the TMC won all four seats; in Uttarakhand, the Congress won both seats; in Punjab, AAP secured the lone seat; in Tamil Nadu, the DMK took the lone seat; in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP won the lone seat; and in Bihar, an independent candidate won the lone seat.
Additionally, Chidambaram addressed the central government’s announcement to observe ‘Savidhan Hatya Diwas’ on June 25 to commemorate the anniversary of the 1975 emergency imposed under Indira Gandhi’s Congress government. He remarked, “Why is the BJP not going back to the 18th or 17th century? 75 per cent of the Indians living today were born after 1975. Emergency was a mistake and it was accepted by Indira Gandhi. We have amended the Constitution so that an emergency cannot be imposed so easily.”
Chidambaram questioned the relevance of debating the emergency after 50 years, emphasizing that lessons have been learned. He stated, “What is the point of debating the rights and wrongs of the emergency 50 years later? The BJP must forget the past. We have learned the lessons from the past.”
Earlier this month, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government announced plans to observe ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to mark the emergency anniversary, a decision that has sparked criticism from opposition parties targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
The 1975 Emergency in India remains a significant historical event, characterized by political instability and suppression of civil liberties. Declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Emergency involved the suspension of fundamental rights and the imposition of strict censorship to suppress political dissent and maintain control.