'Mamata Banerjee Very Much Part Of I.N.D.I.A Bloc': Rahul Gandhi Amid Row With TMC

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during the Jharkhand leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra said that Mamata Banerjee is still a part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday said Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is still a part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc formed by 27 Opposition parties for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Rahul Gandhi asserted the same during the Jharkhand leg of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. 

His comment came amid the apparent rift between the Congress and the TMC in Bengal after the parties failed to reach an agreement over sharing of seats. Initially, the TMC was reluctant to cede more than two seats to the Congress in Bengal. However, this was not acceptable to the Grand Old Party. Following this, Mamata Banerjee said that her party would go solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The TMC later said that Mamata Banerjee alone was enough to defeat the BJP in Bengal and did not need the Congress's support. The Trinamool Congress also cast doubt over the Congress's ability to secure 'even 40 seats' in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

Responding to Mamata's comments Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh last week said that the TMC is still a part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc and her priority is to take on BJP. Jairam Ramesh said that all the parties in the I.N.D.I.A bloc must come together for the common aim of defeating the BJP.

“We are assuming she (West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee) is still a part of the INDIA group, a group of 27 parties that have allied. Her priority, she claims, is to fight the BJP. We also prioritize fighting the BJP". "I think it’s better if we all come together. I think we should realize that this is not a local-level election,” PTI quoted Jairam Ramesh as saying.

During a protest in Kolkata, urging the Centre to clear the state's dues, the Chief Minister of West Bengal remarked, "I suggested that the Congress contest 300 seats where the BJP is the main opposition across the country, but they disregarded my proposal. Now, they are here in the state to mobilize Muslim voters. I doubt they would win even 40 seats if they contested 300," as reported by PTI.

Banerjee reiterated her party's willingness to forge an alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. However, she emphasized that it was the Congress party that declined her offer. "We were open to forming an alliance and offered them two seats, but they turned it down. Now, let them contest all 42 seats alone. Since then, there has been no communication between us. We will fight independently and defeat the BJP in Bengal," she stated.

The rift between the Congress and the TMC was laid bare when the former accused the Bengal administration of trying to sabotage the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra at different stages in the state.