Form of words:
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is actively trying to expand her party’s footprint outside the state and as a prominent face of the unified opposition against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. Presenting herself as
TMC is not only trying to forge an alliance and is preparing to contest elections Northeast And Goabut the party’s been on a induction spree – With many former members of Congress and other parties joining TMC.
Despite Banerjee’s efforts to project herself as a uniting factor in the opposition against the TMC and the BJP, several major regional political parties – which are not part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – are yet to react. Hesitant to give. West Bengal Chief Minister’s call for opposition unity ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Preserved in their approach to the idea of the Mamata Banerjee-led opposition, most of them are opting not to comment on the matter yet, or refraining from taking a clear decision at this point.
senior leaders and officials of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan samaj party (BSP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who has been vocal in support of Banerjee during this period election campaign or during TMC stand off Even with the BJP-led central government, the opposition is still reluctant to follow his lead for unity.
Much of his hesitation stemmed from the possibility of the Congress not being part of the Mamata-led opposition. While some doubt whether such an alliance can be forged, some others have aligned with the party in their state and are yet to express their loyalty to the Congress and to present a unified opposition to the BJP in 2024. Caught between their hopes.
Mamata Banerjee has been rejected Congress-led UPA and more abandoned A meeting of opposition parties was called by the Congress last month ahead of the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
But as the leader of a regional party, who did not wish to be identified, claimed, “The Congress estimated a vote share of around 20 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. We are not sure whether he can be dismissed like this. They have a strong presence in many states.
Read also: Mamata biopic, possible party name change, TMC aims to make ‘national appeal’ ahead of 2024 polls
‘Opposition should not be centered around one person’
“We need an alternate program to defeat the BJP, I agree. And it shouldn’t be centered around a single person. We have seen what personality-based politics (referring to PM Narendra Modi) has done to us,” RJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha told ThePrint on Sunday.
He added: “There should be a lot of ground work and discussion in the coming days for such an alternative program.” The RJD has so far not taken a stand on Banerjee’s call for opposition unity against the BJP.
Meanwhile, the SP has cited next year’s assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as the reason for the party’s current silence on opposition unity for 2024.
“She (Banerjee) is an old ally of our party. He is an important figure in the opposition. But at this point of time, we are only focusing on the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh,” Juhi Singh, Samajwadi Party MP and spokesperson, said on Sunday.
The clarification was echoed by a senior BSP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Right now, we are focusing only on the upcoming elections (Uttar Pradesh). We can take a decision on his (Banerjee’s) appeal of a united opposition later.
Other parties said their leadership was yet to take any decision on the matter.
“The top leadership has not said anything on the issue. Hence, it would not be appropriate to comment on it at this stage,” said DMK’s Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva.
A senior TDP functionary, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they have decided not to speak on the issue now.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told ThePrint on Sunday, “Every party has the right to expand in a democracy. We should not comment on his (Banerjee’s) strategies.”
AAP is trying to expand its reach beyond Delhi and gear up for the upcoming elections in UP, Goa and Punjab.
During his visit to Delhi in July, the CM of West Bengal had indicated that Doors were open To join a unified opposition to parties like Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). Although these parties are not part of the NDA, they are considered friendly with the BJP.
BJD gave loan Cooperation for bills pushed by the BJP on several occasions, and the YSRCP was for a long time attracted by the BJP, which saw him as a potential ally in South India.
Speaking to ThePrint on Sunday, BJD’s Rajya Sabha member Sujit Kumar said, “We have not taken any decision on the matter yet. We will do what is best for the state (Odisha).”
A senior YSRCP leader, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We should comment on this issue only if the top leadership has anything to say.” That hasn’t happened yet.”
Read also: Yes, UPA is dead. But here’s what Mamata, PK are saying about Congress and why it is also true
Change equation with Congress
Banerjee launched efforts to rally opposition forces and expand the TMC’s influence beyond Bengal soon after the party. landslide victory In the West Bengal Assembly elections in May this year.
In July, the Chief Minister of West Bengal visited Delhi to meet leaders of opposition parties, Including Congress members Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Four months later, on another visit to Delhi in November, Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several opposition leaders, but did not meet two top Congress leaders.
12 Congress MLAs in Meghalaya on this tour Joined TMC has increased the bitterness between the two parties. Banerjee too welcomed Along with this, Kirti Azad and Ashok Tanwar of Congress were included in the party.
Soon after, while talking to reporters after meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai last week, Mamata said, “What is UPA? There is no UPA now.” The West Bengal CM had also met Shiv Sena leaders Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut during her Mumbai visit last week.
Sources in a party, aware of the details of her meeting with Pawar, told ThePrint that Banerjee mostly tried to build a strong opposition against the BJP, without explicitly presenting herself as the face of that opposition. I asked for his help.
In his weekly column in the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena faceRajya Sabha MP Raut wrote on Sunday that Banerjee was considering forming an anti-BJP front, ousting the Congress.
He said the TMC was not considering a political entry into Maharashtra as the Shiv Sena and the NCP were effectively standing up to the BJP’s strength in the state. “It seems she is looking to leave the Congress and try something new,” she wrote, though she did not explicitly state her party’s stand on Banerjee’s national ambitions.
Earlier NCP leader Nawab Malik did ruled out Possibility of a united opposition without Congress and said that differences between TMC and Congress may eventually be resolved. an editorial in face was too Slammed Banerjee’s “No UPA” remark.
The Shiv Sena and NCP are in alliance with the Congress in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
(Edited by Polomi Banerjee)
Read also: Opposition wants unity but no one’s rubber stamp will be there, says TMC amid tussle with Congress
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