Mamata finds support amid rift in Oppn bloc

LoP Rahul Gandhi told a group of party lawmakers not to pay attention to what second-rung leaders of the INDIA group parties say.

Two key constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) backed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday to head the Opposition coalition, adding to the growing call for a shake-up within the bloc that did well in the Lok Sabha polls but has flagged since.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (ANI PHOTO)

Earlier in the day, LoP Rahul Gandhi told a group of party lawmakers not to pay attention to what second-rung leaders of the INDIA group parties are saying and said that the Congress is capable of handling the issues in the alliance.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister, Lalu Prasad dismissed the Congress’s objection to Banerjee and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) parliamentarian Sanjay Raut indicated that his party was open to discussing the idea.

“The Congress’s objection on West Bengal chief minister proposing to head the INDIA bloc has no meaning. It cannot do anything,” Prasad said in Patna. Asked specifically whether the command of the INDIA bloc should be given to Banerjee, Prasad replied in the affirmative. “Yes, she should be given the charge of leading the bloc,” he said.

Raut indicated that his party was open to discussing if someone outside the Congress wanted to lead the bloc. “All constituents of the alliance are willing to have a discussion on the issue,” he told reporters, while reacting to Prasad’s comment.

Talking to reporters in Delhi, he said his party’s ties with the Congress leadership, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were excellent and the grand old party had the highest number of members among the INDIA allies.

“Still, if the INDIA bloc is to be strengthened again, everyone wishes to discuss (issues related to) leadership, who can give time to the alliance....(whether it could be) Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, Lalu Prasad, Sharad Pawar or Akhilesh Yadav,” he said, adding that even Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik, whose party is not a part of the bloc, can join the alliance.

TMC Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee, who has been persistently batting for the Bengal chief minister, saying she is the fittest person to lead the opposition alliance, welcomed Lalu Prasad’s remark.

“It has been established that the current leadership has failed. Of all political leaders we currently have, nobody has more experience in leading political movements than Mamata Banerjee. It is only natural that her name will come up,” the MP said.

Former Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Trinamool Congress is raising the leadership issue in the INDIA bloc since the day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised questions on the Modi government’s link with the Adani Group.

“Mamata Banerjee claims she formed the INDIA bloc. Did a single person hear her asking people to vote for INDIA when elections were held in Maharashtra, Jharkhand or Rajasthan? Nobody did. She started talking about the leadership issue since the day Rahul Gandhi targeted Adani, questioning its links with the Modi government. Everybody can understand what’s going on,” Chowdhury said.

BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the Bengal legislative assembly, said Lalu Prasad and Banerjee belong to the same league.

“One went to jail in the cattle fodder scam and here, several of Banerjee’s leaders are in jail in the cattle smuggling scam. Her nephew (Abhishek Banerjee) will also land in jail in this case. It hardly matters who is naming whom as leader of a non-existent alliance,” Adhikari said.

The controversy began last week when Banerjee appeared to signal her unhappiness with the functioning of the bloc and said that she was willing to lead the Opposition coalition if given an opportunity.

In an interview to News18 Bangla, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said she could manage the dual responsibility of running the Opposition front while continuing her role as the chief minister of West Bengal.

“I formed the INDIA bloc. Now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can’t run the show, what can I do? I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along,” she told the news channel.

Asked why she is not taking the charge of the bloc, given her credentials as a strong anti-BJP force, Banerjee said, “If given the opportunity I would ensure its smooth functioning... I don’t want to go outside Bengal, but I can run it from here,” she said.

Formed last year to counter the BJP, the INDIA bloc comprises around two dozen parties including Congress. The TMC is among the largest and most successful constituents of the coalition.

Since then, the Samajwadi Party and the National Conference appeared willing to discuss Banerjee’s bid.

Samajwadi Party leader in the Rajya Sabha, Ram Gopal Yadav, said his party was not averse to discussing Banerjee’s proposal to head the INDIA bloc. “Surely, there should be a discussion on what she had said. As of now, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge heads the Opposition alliance,” he said.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday told reporters in Srinagar that Banerjee could claim leadership of the INDIA bloc and said there would be a discussion. He said that the question of change in the leadership of the INDIA bloc did not arise as the bloc did not hold any meeting after the Lok Sabha elections. “There has been no meeting of the INDIA Bloc after the Lok Sabha elections, so the question of change of leadership does not arise. Let there be a meeting and let Mamata Banerjee claim the leadership if she wants... There would be discussion on it,’ Abdullah said.

Earlier, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar acknowledged the leadership potential of Banerjee, emphasising her prominence as a national leader and the competence of her party’s representatives in Parliament. “Yes, certainly (she is capable of leading the alliance). She is a prominent leader of this nation... she has that capability. The elected leaders she sent to Parliament are responsible, dutiful, and well-aware people. Therefore, she has the right to say so,” he said.

Senior RJD leaders said Prasad’s statement, which came two days after Tejashwi’s remarks that also backed Banerjee, was indicative of how the RJD, which considers itself as a senior ally in the coalition, was trying to play hardball with the Congress ahead of the 2025 Bihar assembly polls.

“It is surely a pressure game which the RJD is trying to play with Congress before Bihar polls and could have its impact on seat sharing talks in coming months,” said a senior INDIA bloc leader, wishing anonymity.

Congress leaders have remained sceptical of Banerjee’s comments. Congress MP Manickam Tagore called the suggestion a ‘big joke’ and Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Monday said that Banerjee’s party was limited to West Bengal. “TMC chief’s party is only limited to West Bengal and does not have a pan India presence,” Singh said.