Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, citing rebellions in Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), claimed on Thursday that Home Minister Amit Shah is determined to convert the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) into a ‘National Defectors Alliance’ (a coalition of defectors) to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.
However, he asserted that Shah will not succeed in his objective.He also stated that the Congress leadership is in continuous contact with its ally parties to maintain opposition unity and thwart Amit Shah’s efforts.
In an interview with PTI-Bhasha, Ramesh said, “Amit Shah is clearly determined to turn the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) into a ‘National Defectors Alliance’. The reason is that on 17 April 2026, he faced a major embarrassment in the Lok Sabha when the Constitution Amendment Bill related to delimitation failed to pass.”
He said the bill could not be passed due to the opposition’s unity, and the National Democratic Alliance received only 298 votes, while 362 votes are required for a two-thirds majority in the 543-member House.
The Congress leader said, “This was humiliating and a major setback for them. They had not expected this at all. I believe that to take revenge for this humiliation, Shah has launched a major campaign to create divisions in opposition parties. He is trying to break every opposition party.”
Ramesh claimed, “I can assure you that they will not succeed in securing a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.”
He said that whatever the Home Minister and the BJP are doing amounts to an attack on the Constitution and democracy.The Congress leader remarked, “There was a time when Sardar Patel was the Home Minister. It is a matter of shame that today a self-proclaimed Chanakya occupying that post is indulging in such divisive politics.”
On BJP ally Om Prakash Rajbhar’s claim of a split in the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Ramesh said that all this is a psychological game being played by the Home Minister.The Congress leader claimed, “The Home Minister spreads news to weaken others. He will not succeed. In no case will he be able to achieve the two-thirds majority figure in the Lok Sabha.”
He said that Congress is also keeping a close watch on the entire situation and is in constant touch with its ally parties.Ramesh said, “We are in touch with all opposition parties… On 8 June, a meeting of the INDIA alliance was held. After that, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, K.C. Venugopal and I have been in contact with opposition leaders.”
He added, “We are also working on it; it is not that we are sitting idle. We are not scared, and we are not the ones to get scared. We can also play this psychological game.”
