New Delhi:

In another sign that the Congress is getting cornered within the INDIA bloc, RJD founder and veteran politician Lalu Prasad Yadav today said Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee should lead the Opposition alliance and that the Congress’s objection to this “means nothing”.

“Congress’s objection means nothing. We will support Mamata… Mamata Banerjee should be given the leadership (of the INDIA Bloc),” the veteran leader said when asked about Ms Banerjee’s remarks on leading the INDIA bloc.

Earlier this month, in a veiled swipe at the Congress, the West Bengal Chief Minister had said “everyone needs to be taken along” as the Opposition bloc moves against the BJP-ruled central government. Asked why she was not taking charge, she said, “If given the opportunity, I would ensure its smooth functioning. I don’t want to go outside Bengal, but I can run it from here.”

The remarks over INDIA bloc’s leadership play out against the backdrop of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. Differences have cropped up on the strategy the Opposition must follow to corner the Narendra Modi government in the House. While the Congress, led by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, demanded a discussion on the Adani indictment issue, leading to frequent adjournments, the Trinamool insisted that it wants the House to function so that it can raise key issues such as price rise, unemployment and the Manipur unrest. MPs of the Trinamool and Samajwadi Party — the biggest opposition forces after the Congress — were conspicuously missing from an Opposition protest over the Adani issue.

Mr Gandhi has been pushing hard on the Adani issue after a US Department of Justice indictment against the directors of Adani Green. The Adani Group has maintained that Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and senior executive Vneet Jaain are clear of bribery charges. Gautam Adani has said this is not a challenge the group has faced for the first time, adding, “every attack makes us stronger”.

The Congress had consolidated its position as the main Opposition party after scoring 99 seats in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, doubling its 2019 tally. But the setbacks in the Haryana and Maharashtra polls have given way to rumblings within the Opposition camp.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had said Ms Banerjee should be a major partner of the INDIA alliance. “We know this opinion of Mamata ji. We also want her to be a major partner of the INDIA alliance. Whether it is Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal or Shiv Sena, we are all together. We will soon go to talk to Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata,” he had said.

His party colleague Priyanka Chaturvedi had said the Trinamool chief had repeatedly fended off the BJP offensive in Bengal. “Because she has shown a successful model in West Bengal where she has kept the BJP away from power and implemented good welfare schemes…her election experience, and fighting spirit, accordingly she has shared her interest. Whenever the INDIA bloc meeting takes place, our senior leaders will together take a decision,” she had said.

Veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, too, has voiced support. “Yes, certainly (she is capable of leading the alliance). She is a prominent leader of this nation… she has that capability. The elected leaders she sent to Parliament are responsible, dutiful, and well-aware people. Therefore, she has the right to say so,” Mr Pawar had said.

The INDIA bloc was formed last year when the Opposition parties decided to work out their ideological differences and fight the formidable BJP together. The grand alliance strategy worked well in the Lok Sabha election and the ruling BJP was restricted to below the majority mark. The alliance, however, has proved to be tricky in regions where two INDIA partners are electoral rivals. This has drawn attacks from the BJP, which has termed the bloc “opportunistic”.  

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the opposition INDIA bloc, signaling her intent to take charge of the alliance if given the opportunity.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said she could manage the dual responsibility of running the opposition front while continuing her role as the chief minister of Bengal.

“I had formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can’t run the show, what can I do? I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along,” she said in an interview with Bengali news channel News 18 Bangla.

Asked why she is not taking the charge of the bloc, given her credentials as a strong anti-BJP force, Banerjee said, “If given the opportunity I would ensure its smooth functioning.” “I don’t want to go outside Bengal, but I can run it from here,” she said.

The INDIA bloc, formed to counter the BJP, comprises over two dozen opposition parties. However, internal differences and a lack of coordination have drawn criticism from various quarters.

Her remarks come days after her party MP Kalyan Banerjee called on the Congress and other INDIA bloc allies to set aside their egos and recognise Mamata Banerjee as the leader of the opposition alliance.

The BJP delivered a stunning performance in Maharashtra, securing a record number of seats that propelled the party-led ruling Mahayuti alliance to a landslide victory, while the INDIA bloc made a strong comeback in Jharkhand, driven by a spectacular showing from the JMM.

The Congress continued its losing streak, posting its worst-ever performance in Maharashtra and ending up as a distant junior partner to the ruling JMM in Jharkhand, with its role in the opposition bloc further diminishing as other allies outperformed it.

On the other hand, the TMC’s recent bypoll victories defeating the BJP have reinforced the party’s dominance in West Bengal, despite opposition campaigns focusing on controversies like the RG Kar Medical College protests.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front, its ally CPI(ML) Liberation, and the Congress, allies of the TMC at the national level in INDIA bloc, all suffered major setbacks, with their candidates losing their deposits.

While Congress being the largest party of the INDIA bloc has often been perceived as the coalition’s de facto leader, the TMC has consistently advocated for Mamata Banerjee to take the reins of the alliance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)