INDIA block dead and buried, only exists on paper after DMK:BJP boycott

File photo of BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla

The INDIA bloc is “dead and buried”, it may exist on paper and TV screens but not in reality, the BJP said on Friday (Jun 5, 2026) after the DMK announced it would not attend the alliance’s meeting in New Delhi on 8 June.

In a major setback for the opposition alliance, the DMK said on Thursday (June 4, 2026) that it would abstain from the meeting as the Congress would attend.

The decision is a continuation of her anti-Congress stance since the national party tied up with TVK, which won the Tamil Nadu assembly elections.

“The INDI alliance has now fallen to pieces. It was predicted that there would be nothing left called the INDI alliance on May 4 and that prediction has come true,” BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, referring to the results of assembly elections in five states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal.

“The INDI alliance is dead and buried. It may exist on paper and on TV screens, but it does not exist in reality,” he said.

Citing the DMK’s decision to skip the meeting, he alleged that the Congress had “betrayed” its allies,

“The DMK categorically refused to join the Congress in the INDI alliance meeting planned in the coming days. She said the Congress had taken a stab at it,” a BJP spokesperson said in a video statement.

On the issue of partnership of opposition parties, Mr. Poonawalla claimed that her parties are rivals in several states.

“And where does the INDI alliance actually exist? Was it together in West Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttarakhand or Madhya Pradesh?” he asked.

Mr. Poonawalla argued that the alliance is driven by political opportunism rather than any common goal.

“This alliance was a model of opportunism. There was no mission, only confusion, division and ambition for positions,” he said.

A BJP spokesperson claimed that the parties in the alliance are fighting each other in the states while projecting unity at the national level.

“The Congress and the Left engaged in a political battle in Kerala but declared friendship in Delhi. They fought each other in places like West Bengal but expressed unity in the state capital,” he said.

Poonawalla alleged that regional parties have lost faith in the Congress and claimed that its allies now consider it a “fraudulent party”.

“After DMK’s betrayal, all regional parties have understood that Congress is a lied party,” he said.

Referring to the Samajwadi Party, he claimed that it had indicated its intention to go it alone in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

“The Samajwadi Party has already said that it will contest all the 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and will not have any alliance with the Congress,” he said, adding that the opposition alliance no longer exists in any meaningful sense.

The Dravidian DMK major said he would not attend the opposition meeting next week to respect the sentiments of his cadres, who were deeply hurt by the Congress party’s betrayal.

Published – 05 Jun 2026 12:54 IST