Overview
- Aiyar told IANS the alliance would lose relevance without Mamata Banerjee, calling her the leader of the INDIA bloc.
- He urged Rahul Gandhi to let regional chiefs such as M.K. Stalin, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav take the helm.
- Congress leaders publicly distanced the party from Aiyar, asserting he has no current role and speaks only in a personal capacity.
- Aiyar said he believes the party may have decided to expel him but that he has received no formal notice.
- The row has intensified political attention as West Bengal heads toward assembly elections in the first half of 2026.