Amid seat-sharing tussle, Rahul Gandhi says ‘Mamata Banerjee close to me’

Rahul Gandhi said that comments by Congress and Trinamool Congress leaders against each other do not matter.

Published on: Jan 23, 2024, 19:59:51 IST

By HT News Desk

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asserted that he and his party have a 'good' relationship with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during an INDIA alliance meeting in Bengaluru. (HT photo)

He said that critical remarks from either the Trinamool Congress (TMC) or the Congress against each other will not negatively affect the seat-sharing talks for the coming Lok Sabha polls within the INDIA bloc.

“The negotiations on seat-sharing are underway, I don't want to comment here. But Mamata Banerjee is very close to me and our party. Sometimes our leaders say something, their leaders say something, and it goes on. It's a natural thing,” Gandhi said during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam.

The Congress leader further added: " Such comments won't matter and these are not things that are going to disrupt things."

Gandhi's remarks come a day after Mamata Banerjee, without naming the Congress, criticised the delay in seat-sharing discussions within the INDIA block for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Banerjee also alleged that the Left is attempting to control the agenda of the Opposition's INDIA alliance and underscored that no one confronts the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as directly as she does.

Also Read | 'Don't care': Adhir Chowdhury on Trinamool's new plan to contest all 42 seats in Bengal

“I suggested the name INDIA during the opposition bloc meeting. But whenever I attend the meeting, I find the Left trying to control it,” the chief minister had said. "This is not acceptable. I cannot agree with those with whom I had fought for 34 years. Despite such insults, I have adjusted and attended the INDIA bloc meetings.”

The Trinamool Congress is a key member of the opposition INDIA alliance comprising Congress, CPI (M)-led Left Front and other parties. However, in West Bengal, the CPI(M) and Congress have aligned against the TMC and BJP.

Recently, several TMC leaders have alleged that West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury continues to target the TMC and Banerjee even though their parties are allies in the INDIA bloc.

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HT News Desk
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