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In a move which is likely to widen the fissures within the INDIA bloc, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday thanked the Opposition leaders who supported her after she expressed her willingness to lead the alliance. The Bengal Congress however cried foul, calling the row a “BJP conspiracy”.
“I would not want to comment on the INDIA bloc but would like to thank those who supported me. I pray for their good health. My best wishes are with them,” she said during a visit to Digha in an apparent reference to statements made by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar in her favour.
Bengal Congress chief Subhankar Sarkar however alleged that Mamata’s statements were a part of the BJP’s conspiracy to create rifts within the INDIA bloc. “Recently the Chief Minister of West Bengal @MamataOfficial ji in an interview apparently expressed her desire to lead the I.N.D.I.A. alliance. Any alliance partner may claim and want to lead the I.N.D.I.A alliance. However, Mamata Banerjee ji’s action has on several occasions provided oxygen to the BJP and derailed a united Opposition front when the BJP is in crisis,” he said in a post on X.
Alleging that the move to stake claim over the bloc’s leadership was nothing but a divisive mechanism to provide advantage to the BJP, Sarkar added: “The ‘I’ in INDIA alliance stands for inclusive and every decision of the alliance should be collective in fighting the BJP through a common minimum programme.”
Another “surprised” Congress leader said the TMC had not been attending the meetings of the INDIA bloc in Parliament. “When we ask them, their leaders claim the TMC is not in the INDIA bloc. And then Mamata says she is ready to lead the alliance… it is surprising,” the leader said.
Since the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress and the TMC have been on a collision course. After initial deliberations over fighting the polls together, Mamata went ahead and announced candidates for all 42 parliamentary seats in the state. The Congress and the CPM-led Left Front fought the polls together. While the TMC won 29 seats as against the BJP’s 12, the Congress managed to win just one seat with the Left drawing a blank.
The demand for a change in leadership of the Opposition bloc surfaced after the Congress’s dismal showing in the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Assembly polls with some INDIA constituents accusing the Congress of not “taking its allies” along.
The chorus gained momentum after the drubbing of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), of which the Congress is a part, in the Maharashtra elections.
One of the first voices seeking a change of guard came just two days after the Maharashtra poll results on November 25, when the TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee urged the Congress leaders to “keep their egos aside” and recognise Mamata as the “natural leader of the INDIA bloc”.
Last week, Mamata said in an interview to a regional television channel that she had formed the INDIA bloc and it was now up to those leading the front to manage it. “If they cannot run the show, what can I do? If given the opportunity, I would ensure its smooth functioning. I can run it from here (Bengal),” she said.
Her comments immediately created ripples. First, Pawar appeared to endorse her leadership, saying, “She is a capable leader and has the right to say it. The MPs she has sent to Parliament are hardworking and good.”
Joining the chorus later was Lalu, who said Mamata must be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc. On being asked if the Congress would object to it, he quipped: “It doesn’t matter… Mamata ko de do (Give the bloc’s responsibility to Mamata).”
The INDIA alliance is likely staring at a tough time ahead with three of its largest parties – Congress, SP and TMC – slugging it out over the leadership issue and other partners like the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP(SP) looking to calibrate their stances.
