Mamata Banerjee to meet Sonia Gandhi, Kejriwal today as she sets ball rolling for anti-BJP front
Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet several opposition leaders on Wednesday, including Congress' interim president Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar.
Banerjee, who is making her bid to unite the Opposition against the BJP, on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at latter's official residence 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, describing it as part of the protocol. Banerjee is in the national capital for the first time after her party's resounding victory in the assembly polls.
Responding to a question asked by reporters that if she has lined up a series of meetings with the Opposition parties with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in mind, Banerjee said that the general elections are far away.
“Opposition unity will take shape on its own,” the TMC chief said while making it obvious that she will leave no stone unturned to build a political front against the BJP.
On whether she will lead the Opposition against the BJP, she said, "The country will lead the Opposition, we are the followers."
Banerjee said that she will meet all Opposition members after the Parliament session is over and the coronavirus situation normalises, indicating that another visit soon was on the anvil.
Earlier on Tuesday, Banerjee met senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Anand Sharma. Nath, after meeting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, said he had come to congratulate Banerjee for her victory in the recent assembly elections.
"We have not discussed any strategy. That will be discussed by the leader of our party. We just discussed the current situation and the issue of rising prices," the Congress leader told reporters.
Later, Banerjee met Sharma. During the meeting, Sharma is reported to have told her that there cannot be a non-BJP front without Congress as it is a national political party with a pan-India presence.
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