(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat spoke on the growing tension within the INDIA bloc ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. He assured that all issues within the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) will be resolved before the polls.

His comments come in the wake of reports that RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) has fielded candidates on several assembly seats where Congress has also announced nominees, leading to visible friction within the alliance.

While the NDA claims that the INDIA alliance will disintegrate as elections draw near, Harish Rawat dismissed such speculations and expressed confidence in the alliance's unity and collective goal of defeating the BJP.

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent statement on the decline of Maoism, Rawat acknowledged the seriousness of the issue, saying, "It is true that Maoism once expanded rapidly, but it was during the UPA government that a special operation was launched. Local forces were trained, and these very forces helped curb Maoist influence."

He slammed the Prime Minister's claim that no prior government had acted on Maoism, calling it "unfair and historically inaccurate."

Reacting to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's 'Operation Sindoor' comment, Rawat said, "I fully agree that the habit of winning should be maintained-but the habit of lying must be abandoned."

The upcoming Bihar Assembly elections are being closely watched as a major political test for both the INDIA bloc and the NDA. While NDA leaders are confident of forming the next government in Bihar, parties within the INDIA alliance maintain that a wave of change is coming.

However, the alliance has yet to publicly resolve its seat-sharing disputes, and top leaders remain tight-lipped about internal negotiations.

The elections will be conducted in two phases, and the results will be declared on November 14. Prime Minister Modi, along with Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, is set to intensify campaigning in Bihar next week, adding further momentum to the electoral battle.

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