Congress Rajya Sabha MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh on Thursday cited the rebellions within Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) to claim that Union home minister Amit Shah is determined to turn the NDA into a ‘National Defectors Alliance’ in a bid to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. However, he asserted that Shah would not succeed in achieving that objective.
He also said the Congress leadership remains in constant touch with its allies to preserve Opposition unity and thwart Shah’s efforts.
Speaking to PTI-Bhasha, Ramesh said, “Amit Shah is clearly determined to transform the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) into a ‘National Defectors Alliance’. The reason is that he faced a major humiliation in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026, when the Constitutional Amendment Bill related to delimitation could not be passed.”
According to him, the Opposition’s unity prevented the Bill from being approved. He noted that the NDA secured only 298 votes, whereas a two-thirds majority in the 543-member House required 362 votes.
The Congress leader said, “It was humiliating and a major setback for him. He had not expected it at all. I believe that, in an effort to avenge that humiliation, Shah has launched a large-scale campaign to engineer defections within Opposition parties. He is trying to break every Opposition party.”
Ramesh further claimed, “I can assure you that they will not succeed in obtaining a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.”
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