The Congress on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Union Home minister Amit Shah, accusing him of orchestrating a sustained campaign to weaken Opposition parties and "wreck Indian democracy" through political defections and inducements.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that Shah was intensifying efforts to engineer splits within Opposition ranks following what he described as the Home minister's "humiliation" in the Lok Sabha on 17 April, when the government failed to secure passage of the Constitution Amendment (Delimitation) Bills.
Taking to social media, Ramesh claimed that Shah's political strategy was aimed at luring elected representatives away from parties that had secured mandates on explicitly anti-BJP platforms.
"His allurements are enticing a number of those who were elected just two years ago on a strong anti-BJP agenda to now join the BJP. The incentives reportedly being extended to them are mind-boggling," Ramesh alleged.
Escalating his attack, the Congress leader accused the Home minister of running a "wholly cynical campaign" designed to fragment the Opposition.
"The Home minister is continuing his onslaught on the Opposition and his wrecking of Indian democracy. This campaign is well lubricated and, like in the mutual funds industry, offers various schemes and products suited to individual needs," Ramesh said in a sharp swipe.
"There are absolutely no limits to his depravity. But he will not succeed in his ultimate objective," he added.
The Congress attack comes amid growing political turbulence in Maharashtra and West Bengal, where allegations of attempts to engineer defections have dominated political discourse.
The controversy intensified after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged that efforts were underway to poach Members of Parliament from Maharashtra. In a late-night post on X, Raut claimed that an "advance of Rs 15 crore" was being offered to facilitate defections.
"There is information that an advance of Rs 15 crore will be given tonight to buy MPs from Maharashtra. This is shocking and disgusting," Raut alleged.
His remarks came against the backdrop of speculation that a section of Lok Sabha MPs belonging to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) could break away from the party. The buzz gained momentum after ruling Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik publicly hinted that dissident MPs would be welcomed and given priority if they chose to switch sides.
Political circles were further abuzz after Raut travelled to Delhi, triggering speculation that he could meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to pre-empt any move by a group of party MPs to seek separate recognition in Parliament.
Meanwhile, a separate political realignment in West Bengal has added to Opposition concerns. On Sunday, 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs met speaker Om Birla and announced their merger with the National Congress of Progressive India (NCPI), a Tripura-based registered but unrecognised political party.
Rebel MP Arup Chakraborty later said the breakaway faction was attempting to "rectify" the party and intended to fight for control over the Trinamool Congress election symbol.
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, however, dismissed the move as illegal and in violation of anti-defection provisions, setting the stage for a fresh political and legal battle.
With allegations of poaching, counterclaims of political realignment and growing unrest within Opposition ranks, the latest developments have sharpened the national debate over defections, parliamentary numbers and the future of India's Opposition politics.
