1. Mamata Banerjee’s decision to contest Lok Sabha polls independently surprises INDIA bloc.
2. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh underscores Mamata’s significance, stating INDIA bloc is unimaginable without her.
3. Ramesh highlights Trinamool Congress (TMC) as a vital pillar in the alliance.
New Delhi, Jan 24: The announcement of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest the Lok Sabha polls solo has sent shockwaves through the INDIA bloc, prompting the Congress to engage in damage control.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh expressed the impossibility of imagining the INDIA bloc without Mamata Banerjee and emphasized the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as a crucial pillar of the alliance.
Addressing a press conference, Ramesh highlighted the commitment of the INDIA bloc to fight like an alliance in West Bengal.
He reiterated that Mamata Banerjee and the TMC are integral to the INDIA bloc, and their absence is inconceivable.
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Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, has consistently acknowledged Mamata Ji and the TMC’s significance within the alliance.
Ramesh expressed optimism about future seat-sharing talks with the TMC and emphasized that the INDIA bloc would unite to contest the elections in West Bengal.
He mentioned that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has invited all INDIA bloc parties to join the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is currently progressing through Assam and will enter West Bengal.
Acknowledging the challenges, Ramesh likened the current situation to a journey facing speed breakers and red lights.
Despite the obstacles, he affirmed the INDIA bloc’s determination to defeat the BJP, emphasizing the united effort against the ruling party.
Mamata Banerjee’s decision to go solo came after a public exchange of criticisms with West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The TMC leader accused the Congress of not informing her about their planned Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in West Bengal, while Chowdhury labeled her an opportunist.
The move has disrupted the Opposition’s attempts to present a united front against the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.