Congress vs TMC: In a fresh attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha election, state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called the TMC chief an "opportunist" and said the elections would not be fought at her mercy.
'Mamata Banerjee is an opportunist'
Chowdhury further said that in the 2011 elections, Mamata Banerjee came to power with the mercy of Congress. "This time, the elections will not be fought at the mercy of Mamata Banerjee. The Congress defeated the BJP and TMC in the two seats that Mamata Banerjee is leaving. The Congress party knows how to contest the elections. Mamta Banerjee is an opportunist; she came to power in 2011, with the mercy of Congress," the Congress MP said while addressing a press conference.
Rahul Gandhi on Mamata Banerjee
Chowdhury's comments came shortly after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserted that Mamata Banerjee is "very close" to him, adding that the state Congress chief's sharp remarks against the Trinamool Congress chief on seat-sharing talks "won't matter.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress leader said talks with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on seat-sharing in Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls are underway.
"The negotiations on seat-sharing are underway; I don't want to comment here. But Mamata Banerjee is very close to me and our party. Sometimes our leaders say something, their leaders say something, and it goes on. It's a natural thing. Such comments won't matter and these are not things that are going to disrupt things," Gandhi said.
Congress and TMC seat-sharing
The Congress and TMC, despite being part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, are currently at odds over seat-sharing in the upcoming general election, creating a challenge for the national-level alliance.
Based on the 2021 assembly poll results in the state, in which the Congress in alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front had fared badly, the Trinamool Congress top leadership offered the grand old party two seats, out of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal, in the coming general elections. However, the official seat-sharing talks have yet to take place.
Meanwhile, Banerjee had criticised the Congress for causing a delay in seat-sharing discussions, citing “unjustified” demand for 10-12 Lok Sabha constituencies.
In the 2019 elections, the TMC bagged 22 seats, Congress won two, and the BJP secured 18 in the state.
The TMC had previously allied with the Congress in the 2001 assembly polls and the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. The two parties again fought the 2011 assembly polls together, leading to the ousting of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government after 34 years.
(With agencies input)
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