Bengaluru:
An animated conversation between Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee, which also led to a meeting, was one of the highlights of the opposition’s first day in Bengaluru.
Sources said the two leaders were so engrossed in their discussion that other opposition leaders had to wait before the meeting began.
Top leaders of 26 opposition parties are in Bengaluru for a two-day meeting to decide on a united front to take on the ruling BJP in next year’s national election.
The possibility of Sonia Gandhi – who was the chairperson of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) – being made the president of the front and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as its convenor, was discussed.
Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee were the first to reach the main hall where opposition parties held an informal meeting to decide on the agenda for the formal talks today.
The Congress leader and the Chief Minister of West Bengal stood in the middle of the hall and talked for 20 minutes. They met for the first time after the violence-hit Bengal Rural elections, which saw the Trinamool Congress clash with the Left-Congress alliance.
The Trinamool won the election amid allegations of electoral irregularities by the BJP and the Left-Congress.
In her discussion with Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee reportedly talked about the Trinamool Congress’ tussle with the Left. They reportedly discussed CPM leader Sitaram Yechury’s statement ruling out any alliance with the Trinamool Congress in Bengal.
Shortly before the meeting, Yechury had told reporters in Bengaluru that “there will be no talk between Mamata and the CPM”.
He had said, “In West Bengal, along with the Left and the Congress, there will also be secular parties that will fight against the BJP and the TMC.”
Bihar politician Lalu Yadav, who is close to both Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee, reportedly intervened in the talks and came out in support of the Trinamool leader.
Lalu Yadav has reportedly come under constant criticism of Mamata Banerjee by Left and Congress leaders in Bengal. The RJD leader referred to the comments of Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a staunch critic of Mamata Banerjee, and said such comments have to be avoided at all costs for the sake of opposition unity.
The discussion between Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee continued as they sat together at the table waiting for other leaders to join them.
The two leaders are known to be on good terms but their rivalry in Bengal has soured relations between their parties. But both the leaders said that to save democracy and federalism, the priority is to defeat the BJP next year.
In the meeting, Lalu Yadav reportedly said that the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should stop attacking each other.
When the Congress leaders welcomed the AAP leaders in the meeting, people hugged and smiled. As AAP’s Raghav Chadha reached out to Congress leaders, the party’s KC Venugopal embraced with a smile, not expecting any awkwardness after AAP took the Congress on board in its fight against the Centre’s ordinance on deregulation of services. were forced to declare their support. Delhi.
When the meeting started, suggestions were sought for a name for the opposition front. Several leaders suggested that the word “India” should be part of the name.
The Left parties called for a common minimum program and also said that state-specific subjects should be kept separate.
The discussions reportedly continued even after the departure of Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin and Nitish Kumar.
The proposed tagline, “United We Stand”, was on large banners at the meeting.