BJP slams Cong as 'historical backstabber' after DMK seeks separate seating for LS MPs

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed the developments reflect growing distrust among INDIA bloc allies towards the Congress and a direct attack on its leader Rahul Gandhi. Akhilesh Yadavs latest post is a direct attack on Rahul Gandhi who ditched both Mamata Banerjee and M K Stalin and essentially ended the INDI alliance, Poonawalla said in a post on X.

The BJP on Friday attacked the Congress calling it a ''dhokhebaz'' party and a ''historical backstabber'', and claiming that no INDIA bloc ally trusted it anymore. The attack followed a social media post by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and reports that the DMK sought separate seating for its MPs, away from other INDIA bloc members in the Lok Sabha. Yadav on Friday posted photographs with outgoing West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin with the caption in Hindi, ''Hum wo nahi jo mushkilon mein saath chhod dein (We are not the ones who abandon friends in difficult times)''. A letter attributed to DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi seeking separate seating arrangements for DMK members in the Lok Sabha in view of the ''changed political circumstances'' has also surfaced online. The letter, addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, sought separate seating arrangements for DMK MPs in the Lok Sabha, stating that the party's alliance with the Congress had ''come to an end''. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed the developments reflect growing ''distrust'' among INDIA bloc allies towards the Congress and a direct attack on its leader Rahul Gandhi. ''Pictures and captions speak a million words. Akhilesh Yadav's latest post is a direct attack on Rahul Gandhi who ditched both Mamata Banerjee and (M K) Stalin and essentially ended the INDI alliance,'' Poonawalla said in a post on X. The BJP leader claimed the message from Yadav is that the INDIA alliance is effectively over. ''Now the message is clear from Akhilesh Yadav ji that the INDI alliance is over. Congress is having no role in the INDI alliance and Congress is a deceitful party,'' he said. Poonawalla claimed the post came at a time when the ''Congress has cheated DMK and gone with TVK in Tamil Nadu and DMK is saying they backstabbed us''. ''Mamata Banerjee said Rahul Gandhi backstabbed us with his video in Nicobar. The Congress has only backstabbed its allies -- RJD in Bihar, NCP Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Sena in Maharashtra; in Delhi, they have used the Left and thrown them away,'' he alleged. Poonawalla further alleged that Yadav had earlier also described the Congress as ''dhokhebaz'' and warned allies to be careful of the party. ''This shows that nobody has faith in Congress. No INDI alliance partners have faith in it because Congress uses and throws away regional partners. Today, Rahul Gandhi's leadership has been completely rejected by Akhilesh Yadav and the other elements of the INDIA alliance,'' he said. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh called Gandhi the ''most opportunistic leader in Indian politics''. ''Today, Rahul Gandhi is the most opportunistic leader in Indian politics. He has proved to be a free-loader. Everywhere he goes, he rides on the shoulders of regional parties to do politics. But in return, he betrays his allies and causes them political damage. ''He is now emerging as the biggest betrayer in the INDI alliance. There is confrontation with allies in Bengal, a drift towards power politics in Tamil Nadu and the kind of distribution of spoils happening in Kerala,'' he told PTI videos. Another BJP national spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, termed the Congress a ''historical backstabber'' and shared on X the letter attributed to DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.