Can anti-BJP parties unite?
A very intense discussion is going on in the corridors of politics on whether defeating the communal BJP is possible during the most crucial 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A close look may reveal defeating BJP is not even any easier. At the same time, it is not a herculean challenge too. BJP has not fulfilled many promises it had made to the public in the run up to the elections. People have suffered through GST and demonetization processes. But at the outset, Modi’s charm has not waned with time or challenges. People still place their trust on him.
But some awakening seems to have happened among the opposition parties, with less than a year to go for the Lok Sabha polls. The anti-BJP parties now know if they do not unite, they can never stop the BJP juggernaut. However, the saving grace is also the fact that the bypolls in UP show anti-BJP parties can come together to defeat BJP. SP and BSP came together in the Uttar Pradesh to fight the bypolls and won against BJP candidates.
And when the new CM representing the JD(S) and Congress coalition took oath, anti-BJP parties came together in Bengaluru starting from Trinamool Congress to Marxist Communist party to send out a strong message. They put up a united front. Along with regional parties, even Congress took part in this display of solidarity.
Though BJP President Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi come refer to ‘Congress-mukt’ Bharat, their main aim is to achieve a democracy-mukt Bharat and opposition parties-mukt Bharat. They want a free run, and do not like anybody questioning them. Hence, Congress is not their sole aim but they want to wipe off regional parties from the map of India as well. They snatched power from the hands of CPM in Tripura, the illegal means by which they formed a government in Goa, their attempts to kill Dravida parties in Tamil Nadu, and their unrelenting efforts to finish off regional parties in other parts of the nation show their eagerness to achieve their goal. Amit Shah and Modi are supported by RSS. Sangh Parivar believes both of them can deliver the dream nation Parivar wants to build. Corporates too love the duo because they protect the interest of private sector. They would love to see Modi continue in the same position.
Hence, the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are very crucial. The opposition parties need to lock this sturdy unchallenged horse in the stable. Congress alone cannot do this, and even the party knows it well. That’s the reason Congress reached out to offer support to JD(S) to form government when the party didn’t get a majority in the Karnataka elections. The talks between Cong high-command and JD(S) Supremo Devegowda bore fruits. When the new government came into existence, the leaders ensured it sent a larger message to BJP than just a swearing in ceremony of anti-BJP government. The split in opposition parties is the main reason for BJP’s victory in many places. In UP, BSP and SP contesting separately, ensured a total of 73 seats for them. Had they contested together, the parties probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve this is something they know from the bypolls conducted for 2 seats in that state. BJP and Shiv Sena together had entered coalition in Maharashtra and won 48 Lok Sabha seats with BJP winning 23 and Shiv Sena clinching 18 seats.
Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP had contested separately for this elections. But if the anti-BJP parties come together, the challenge for BJP will only get bigger and a lot more complicated. Last time Telugu Desam had joined hands with BJP in Andhra and now both have split ways. There are chances of left parties entering into an agreement with Andhra in the upcoming elections, making BJP’s prize run a bit tougher. Yet, the solidarity of anti-BJP parties is laden with challenges too. They are not together in total understanding and solidarity. Communist and Congress parties are major opponents of BJP in Kerala. Trinamool Congress and CPM pose solid challenge to BJP in West Bengal. Congress has adopted soft approach towards regional parties in Karnataka, and this has to continue till the parties face 2019 elections. All these provisions have to be made for 2019 Lok Sabha elections to put up a strong front against BJP. They need to come together under common programme to defeat BJP in 2019 elections.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
