P Chidambaram says INDIA Bloc is fraying, calls BJP 'formidably organised'

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has praised the BJP’s powerful organisational structure while expressing serious doubts about the cohesion of the INDIA bloc, the opposition alliance formed to counter the ruling party.

Speaking at the launch of the book Contesting Democratic Deficit by Salman Khurshid and Mritunjay Singh Yadav, Chidambaram candidly assessed the political scenario ahead of the general elections. He described the BJP as a “formidable machine” and suggested that the INDIA bloc is currently showing signs of disintegration.

“The future of the INDIA bloc is not so bright,” he said. “Mritunjay Singh Yadav believes the alliance is still intact, but I am not sure. It is Salman (Khurshid) who was in the negotiating team and could answer that better.”

While acknowledging the importance of a united opposition, Chidambaram lamented that the bloc “shows at the seams that it is frayed.” He added, “I hope it can still be put together. There’s still time.”

The former Finance Minister underscored the scale of the challenge, describing the BJP as “not just another political party” but rather a complex structure that has extended its influence into key democratic institutions.

“In my experience and reading of history, no political party has been so formidably organised as the BJP,” Chidambaram said. “There is a machine behind a machine, and together they control everything from the Election Commission to local police stations.”