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Presidential election: Mamata holds talks with Pawar; Cong may attend Oppn meet
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar in an attempt to persuade him to becoming a joint opposition candidate for the presidential poll due next month.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar in an attempt to persuade him to becoming a joint opposition candidate for the presidential poll due next month, a day before the opposition camp meets in an effort to build consensus on the matter.
The meeting on Wednesday is likely to include 20 opposition parties, with the Congress possibly attending the gathering, its leaders indicated, despite some uncertainty after the Bengal CM’s move to take the lead on the discussions was seen as undermining a plan the Congress itself was working on.
“We may attend the meeting provided we are not caught up in the protest against ED,” a senior Congress leader said, asking not to be named.
Congress leaders and workers have been protesting against the government this week after party leader Rahul Gandhi was summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate. Gandhi has been summoned again on Wednesday.
According to people aware of the meetings on Tuesday, which also included separate meetings by two Left party leaders with Pawar, the NCP chief has said he will not run for the post. “Pawar’s message to the parties is to prevent dissent in the opposition camp…,” a person aware of the details said, asking not to be named.
“CPI (Communist Party of India), CPI(M) (Communist Party of India – Marxist), TMC, Congress, NCP and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will attend the meeting. We must present a secular front and put forth a common candidate,” a second leader said, despite the uncertainty around Congress’s attendance.
Following the meeting between Banerjee and Pawar, the TMC tweeted, “Our honorable chairperson @MamataOfficial met Shri @PawarSpeaks today. Two stalwart leaders set the stage for the meeting of all progressive opposition forces; set to happen tomorrow at the Constitution Club, New Delhi.”
In a separate tweet it also said, “Our resolve to fight divisive forces grows stronger!”
The Election Commission on June 9 announced that the election will be held on July 18 and counting of votes will take place on July 21. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has an advantage in the race, but the opposition is working on a consensus candidate who could clinch the election.
The task, however, is unlikely to be easy since rifts within the camp are evident.
The CPI(M) and CPI appeared to be miffed with Banerjee’s “unilateral” decision to call for the meeting on Wednesday. In a strongly-worded letter to Banerjee, Yechury said such meetings of opposition parties have always followed a procedure of prior mutual consultations to enable the maximum participation of those wishing to join.
“However, in this instance, we received a unilateral communication informing the date, time, venue and agenda. Your letter mentions ‘a fruitful confluence of opposition voices is the need of the hour’. This could have been better achieved if there had been mutual consultation and a proper time to enable party leaders to reschedule their prior commitments to attend such a meeting,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there were only three days between the receipt of your letter and the date of the meeting,” he added.
Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja said the top leadership will not attend the meeting called by the TMC chief. Elamaram Kareem of CPI(M) and Binoy Viswam of CPI are expected to attend the meeting on behalf of their parties, one of the people quoted above said.
Yechury later said Wednesday’s meeting will be the preliminary round of the discussion. “There will be further consultations before the nomination is filed,” he told HT.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not participate in the Opposition meet, senior party functionaries said. “AAP will not be present for the meeting. The chief minister will not be in town,” a senior party leader said, requesting anonymity.
