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Opposition deliberates Mamata call for a meet on Presidential election
On Saturday, Mamata Banerjee wrote to 22 regional leaders and CMs, calling for a meeting on June 15 at Delhi’s Constitution Club.
A day after West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee wrote to Opposition leaders and chief ministers, calling for a meeting to discuss the election for the President’s post, some leaders said they would not to be able to attend the event, while others said they were still deliberating on the matter.
On Saturday, Banerjee wrote to 22 regional leaders and CMs, calling for a meeting on June 15 at Delhi’s Constitution Club.
In the one-page letter, Banerjee wrote: “A nation with a robust democratic character requires a strong and effective Opposition. All progressive forces in this country need to remain aligned and resist the divisive force that is plaguing us today. Opposition leaders are being deliberately targeted by different central agencies, the country’s image is maligned internationally and bitter dissensions are created within. It is time we strengthen our resistance.”
TMC leaders in West Bengal said that it was “still too early” to gauge the response to Mamata’s outreach. “The letter was sent on Saturday afternoon. It is too early. We have time. I do not know if any leader has personally replied to Banerjee,” TMC national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy told HT at 5pm on Sunday.
The chief ministers Banerjee wrote to are Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala), Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana), MK Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra), Hemant Soren (Jharkhand) and Bhagwant Singh Mann (Punjab).
The other leaders include Lalu Prasad, D Raja, Sitaram Yechury, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Jayant Chaudhary, HD Kumaraswamy, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Pawan Chamling, and KM Kader Mohideen.
Reached for response on whether Kejriwal and Mann would attend the meeting, a party spokesperson indicated that the AAP may not do so. “AAP will not attend this meeting,” a leader said, asking not to be named. The AAP functionary did not cite any reason for the party planning not to join the meeting.
In Tamil Nadu, the DMK said that they were interested in principle for the meeting, but their attendance may depend on the Congress’s plans. A senior party leader said: “The CM has instructed that we are for it. But if the Congress is not invited or if they are not attending, we have to have a discussion with them first because we are with the Congress. We wanted to do this unitedly.”
The Kerala CM was not available for a comment, but a senior functionary said that the party line had been laid down by Sitaram Yechury. Yechury has said that the invite from Banerjee was “unilateral and without consultation.”
At least two non-BJP states indicated that while the CMs themselves would not be present, a representative would be sent. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said: “Uddhav Ji has received an invite to a June 15 meeting in Delhi. As we will be in Ayodhya at that time, a prominent leader of our party will take part in the meeting.”
Similarly, functionaries in the TRS said that CM K Chandrashekar Rao has not yet taken a decision. “However, it is unlikely that he will attend the meeting. He may send a senior party leader like K Kesava Rao,” a senior party leader said on condition of anonymity.
Confirming the invite from Banerjee, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha general secretary and spokesperson Vinod Pandey said: “The two leaders have had discussion over the issue. We still have time. It would be discussed in the party and things would be clear about the modalities of the meeting in a day or two.”
In Odisha, Biju Janata Dal spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said chief minister Naveen Patnaik is yet to take a decision on attending the meeting. “There is still some time. He will take an appropriate decision,” said Mohanty.
