Committed to I.N.D.I.A Bloc, But Congress Should Acknowledge Its Weakness In Bengal: TMC MP

Trinamool Congress affirms its commitment to I.N.D.I.A bloc, which was not attending virtual meets of the bloc. Congress should Know its limitations in Bengal, says TMC

Trinamool Congress has cleared the air over an issue which was an subject of 'pertinent' discussion. TMC, which was not attending the virtual meetings of the I.N.D.IA bloc, Saturday affirmed its commitment to the opposition alliance but emphasised that Congress should recognise its limitations in Bengal and permit the party to spearhead the political battle in it, news agency PTI reported. 

As per PTI, top leaders of the I.N.D.I.A bloc held discussions on strengthening the alliance, chalking out a formula on seat sharing, and deciding convenor of the opposition parties' grouping. This is the second such attempt as the previous attempt to hold a virtual meeting a few days ago did not materialise, PTI reported.

"We are committed to the I.N.D.I.A alliance and want to work together to defeat BJP, But we sincerely wish that the Congress leadership acknowledges the limitations and weaknesses of their Bengal unit and allows TMC to lead the fight in the state",  a TMC MP told PTI.

"Mamata Banerjee will not be able to attend the virtual meets as she has prior engagements and will not be able to change them at 16 hours notice as we were told no one else can attend as only one person is allowed from each of the I.N.D.I.A constituent parties", he added.

According to some reports, earlier, the TMC, had declined to send representatives to meetings with the Congress' national alliance committee on seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, citing its prior stance which it had communicated to the Congress. 

Earlier, the TMC offered the Congress two seats in West Bengal based on the result of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Congress, however, called the offer inadequate.

As per PTI, last week TMC Lok Sabha Party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay indicated the party's willingness to collaborate with the Congress but said the party will go solo if negotiations fail. State Congress president and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is a vocal critic of TMC, asserted that his party will not beg for seats from TMC.

The TMC had allied with the Congress thrice in the past - the 2001 assembly polls, the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, and the 2011 assembly polls, which saw the ousting of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government of 34 years.

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