TMC says won’t attend oath-taking, Congress weighs its options

Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge received a call from the government inviting him to the oath-taking ceremony but the party will take a decision Sunday after talking to INDIA bloc allies.

The Congress had attended Modi’s swearing-in event in 2019. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had represented the party at the event.

Earlier in the day, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal said the party was yet to receive invitations. “Only international leaders have been sent invitations. So far, our leaders have not got invitations. When INDIA bloc leaders get an invitation, we will consider it,” said Ramesh.

In Kolkata, Banerjee said Saturday that the NDA government was being formed “undemocratically and unconstitutionally” and that her party would not be attending the swearing-in ceremony.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the TMC’s newly elected MPs at her Kalighat residence, Banerjee said, “We haven’t received an invitation (to the swearing-in ceremony) yet. Even if we get an invitation, we will not attend the ceremony.”