Abhishek Banerjee-Rahul Gandhi Meeting Today: Political speculation intensified on Wednesday after Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the national capital, a day after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee held a closed-door meeting with Sonia Gandhi. The back-to-back interactions between the top leadership of the two opposition parties have triggered questions about the future of the Trinamool Congress. However, TMC leaders have strongly denied reports suggesting that a merger with the Congress is under discussion.
Abhishek Banerjee-Rahul Gandhi Meeting Today
Mamata Banerjee met Sonia Gandhi at the Congress leader’s residence on June 9, just a day after both leaders attended the INDIA bloc coordination meeting in Delhi. The meeting lasted around an hour and was viewed as significant because it took place amid mounting pressure on the TMC leadership and growing efforts by opposition parties to maintain unity ahead of future political battles.
On Wednesday, Abhishek Banerjee and senior TMC leader Derek O’Brien reportedly met Rahul Gandhi, further fuelling speculation about deeper political discussions between the two parties. The images and reports of the meeting were not slow in attracting reactions in various political spheres. The close partnership between the Congress and TMC was rumoured by some sections of the political circle with a new perspective towards political change in the country.
Another jolt to TMC, party MP Sushmita Dev resigns from Rajya Sabha
Is a TMC-Congress Merger Really Being Discussed?
Though speculation has been high, no formal negotiations on the merger are taking place at the moment. High command sources in the Trinamool Congress dismissed the talks about the TMC and Congress merging as rumors, saying such talks have no basis at all and it is a political conspiracy to target the party.
TMC had put its senior leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad in front on Tuesday to challenge the rebel MPs and to counter claims by rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar that she had support of 20 MPs and has already written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for recognition as a separate parliamentary block which will support the NDA. Banerjee demanded that the letter claiming support of 20 MPs should be made public and challenged all dissident MPs to resign from TMC and to join the BJP.
“Those who went to Union minister Bhupender Yadav’s residence and held meetings with West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari have effectively become BJP. Today, their leader is Narendra Modi. If anyone has political morality, they should resign from Parliament and seek a fresh mandate from the people,” Banerjee and Azad said at a press conference held in Delhi on Tuesday morning.
“If the rebel MPs claim they have the numbers required under the Tenth Schedule, then why have they not formally merged with the BJP? The truth is that BJP has not officially accepted them despite their efforts to align with it,” the TMC leaders said.
On Wednesday, the TMC faced another major blow to its ranks, when its Rajya Sabha MP, Sushmita Dev, considered a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, quit the party and resigned as a member of the Upper House. Refusing to make any comment on Mamata Banerjee, Dev said, “what prompted me to take this decision is a long story why I left the party. I don’t want to be in a situation where I am in two boats at the same time.” On reports of her joining the BJP, she said, “When I take a decision I will let you know.”
Considering these unexpected developments, it is likely that they might merge in order to prevent any such blow further. Still, internal sources said that talks with the Congress leadership was about opposition co-ordination at INDIA bloc.
Congress-TMC Past Relations
Relations between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have often oscillated between cooperation and confrontation. Mamata Banerjee herself emerged from the Congress before founding the TMC in 1998. Both parties have been rivals in some elections and allies in others over the years, most noticeably in West Bengal where the fight between the two parties has been tough. However, the INDIA coalition brought the two parties together in fight against the BJP nationally. Recent photos of Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee greeting each other warmly during the opposition meet has been seen as a move in the right direction, though in the reality in Bengal the partnership seems a little difficult in the long run.
