Wind is behind sails of INDIA bloc: P Chidambaram on by-poll results

P Chidambaram

Following the INDIA bloc's emphatic performance in the recently concluded by-polls in seven states, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram expressed confidence on Sunday that the "wind is behind the sails of the INDIA bloc," reported news agency ANI.

In an interview with ANI, P Chidambaram said that the by-elections indicate that the 'mood' of the people is against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"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 said, reported ANI.

"But by and large, the wind is behind the sails of the INDIA bloc," he added, reported

Out of the by-polls conducted in 13 assembly constituencies across seven states, the INDIA bloc emerged victorious with 10 seats, while the BJP settled for two seats, and an independent candidate bagged one seat.

Assembly by-polls were held 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, reported

The INDIA bloc parties that fielded candidates in 13 assembly constituencies are -- the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), reported

In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress bagged two seats (Nalagarh and Dehra) while the BJP managed to win one seat--Hamirpur; the ruling TMC in West Bengal swept all four seats; the Congress bagged both of the seats in Uttarakhand; AAP secured the lone seat in Punjab; the DMK won the lone seat in Tamil Nadu; the BJP bagged the lone seat in Madhya Pradesh, whereas, the independent candidate won the lone seat in Bihar.

Meanwhile, Congress MP P Chidambaram also spoke about the central government's announcement to observe 'Savidhan Hatya Diwas' on June 25 to mark the anniversary of the 'emergency', which was imposed in 1975 under the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government, reported

"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," said Chidambaram, reported

He further asked what's the point of debating over the rights and wrongs of the emergency 50 years later, while stressing that 'lessons have been learned from the past'.

"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," he said, reported

Earlier this month, the central government, led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), announced to observe 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to mark the anniversary of the emergency. The decision has triggered a backlash, with opposition parties targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The Emergency of 1975 in India stands as a stark chapter in the nation's history, marked by widespread political turmoil and civil liberties suppression. Declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Emergency saw the suspension of fundamental rights and the imposition of strict censorship, aiming to quell political dissent and maintain order.

(With inputs from ANI)