New Delhi: The Congress is trying to keep the options open for INDIA alliance and invited West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee for the mega opposition rally in Mumbai on March 17.
The event will mark the culmination of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra which party leaders claim has created a buzz across the country.
"Technically, Mamata Banerjee is still part of the opposition alliance. She has not walked out of the INDIA bloc and she is committed to defeating the BJP in the state," AICC secretary in-charge of West Bengal BP Singh told ETV Bharat.
The reaction of the AICC functionary has come days after Banerjee adopted a tough posture and declared TMC candidates on all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal leaving little scope for further seat-sharing negotiations.
However, the Congress strategists are still hopeful that the situation can be salvaged and a seat-sharing formula can be worked out with the TMC chief over the coming days.
“AICC in charge of West Bengal Ghulam Ahmed Mir and state unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury are reaching Delhi today. They are likely to discuss the alliance matter,” a senior AICC functionary said.
The problem for the Congress managers is that Chowdhury has been consistently taking anti-Mamata positions in state politics and has been against any pact with TMC. “There is little hope for an alliance now. What can I say,” West Bengal Congress Working President Sankar Malakar said.
However, the Congress strategists said they are looking at the national picture and feel that the INDIA alliance must project its unity.
The Congress was miffed at being offered just two seats by the TMC but now thinks that any reasonable number should be good for the sake of the alliance or in the extreme case if the two parties go their own way, they at least remain on the same page. The Congress has two MPs in the state, Chowdhury and Abu Hasan Khan Chowdhury. There are no MLAs in the state assembly.
“We have a good presence across parts of the state. We have no MLAs and just two MPs but still the response to the Bharat Nyay Yatra was huge recently. People are responding to the issues being raised by our leaders. Also, the fact that we have been getting a good number of votes in the local bodies shows that the Congress has roots in the state,” said Singh.
The yatra and its impact is what is driving the Congress managers. “The yatra is coming to the state today. Over the next few days there will be several rallies in which our allies Shiv Sena UBT and NCP Sharadchandra Pawar leaders are expected to join. The INDIA rally will be in Mumbai on March 17,” AICC secretary in charge of Maharashtra Ashish Dua told ETV Bharat. “The alliance talks are going on in the state and will be concluded soon,” he added.
Recently, former MP Sanjay Nirupam had expressed concern over delay in the seat-sharing and urged the alliance partners to expedite the matter.
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