Congress veteran Mani Shankar Aiyar sparked heated debate on Monday after suggesting DMK chief MK Stalin was “best-suited” to lead the Opposition INDIA bloc. The proposal has found favour with members of his party while sparking outrage in the Congress ranks. The suggestion also comes weeks after multiple leaders pushed for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take over the reins.

Aiyar insisted on Monday that it would be in the interest of the Congress to see Stalin lead the alliance. He insisted that only the Tamil Nadu CM could engineer a victory in the 2029 elections — while his son Udhayanidhi and other associates ran the state government after the next election. Aiyar opined that a smaller partner was a better assurance of alliance unity than the dominant one.

“Under the current circumstances, with 2029 as the goal, no one is better-suited to lead the INDIA bloc than Dalapaty Mu. Ka. Stalin,” he told PTI.

“MK Stalin is a leader who guides not just Tamil Nadu but the entire country. Several opposition leaders across India believe that a democratic battle against the BJP must be led under MK Stalin’s leadership,” Udhayanidhi agreed later.

INDIA bloc considering leadership change?

There has been growing buzz about a leadership change within the INDIA bloc — with multiple leaders ‘nominated’ for the top role. The Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed last week that the matter could not be ignored and stressed the need for talks.

“The decision has to be taken on Mamata, Stalin or someone else. The issue of change in the leadership of the INDIA bloc has again come to the fore. What happened to the India bloc after the Lok Sabha polls? This question is before many. But has this question come to Congress’ mind?” an editorial in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ asked.

Meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah refuted claims that any such meeting had been held recently to discuss leadership change.

“I don’t know where this is being projected. As for Mani Shankar Aiyar, he has given his personal opinion. He has the right to his opinion; no one can say he doesn’t have the right to speak his mind. But ultimately, when a decision is made, it will be by the INDIA bloc. Everyone will talk together. To date, there has been no discussion regarding leadership in any meeting of the INDIA bloc,” he told reporters on Monday.

Omar Abdullah rallies behind Rahul Gandhi

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister also rallied vehemently in support of Rahul Gandhi — insisting the Congress leader had been doing his job well. He acknowledged that the Opposition party did not always find success in elections but argued that the job of the INDIA bloc is to take the government to task. 

“Tell me, what has Rahul Gandhi lacked in competing against the BJP? He is consistently the one person who targets the BJP, always opposes the BJP and targets the government on every issue. That is the job of the leader of the opposition. What more do you want from Rahul Gandhi? Can someone tell me what Rahul Gandhi has lacked in that regard?” he asked.