New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asserted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remains a key member of the opposition bloc INDIA, despite her party’s decision to not ally with the Congress in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Gandhi, who was addressing a press conference at Basiya in Gumla district as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, said that seat-sharing negotiations are ongoing among the members of the alliance and that there is no conflict among them.
“Mamata-ji is very much part of the INDIA alliance like most of the other members who are part of it,” he said. “We are having discussions on seat sharing and that is normal. We respect each other and we are united against the BJP.”
Gandhi’s statement came a week after Banerjee announced that her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) will contest the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal alone, without any alliance with the Congress. She accused the Congress of colluding with the CPI(M) to help the BJP in the state.
Gandhi also commented on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s exit from the INDIA alliance and his joining of the BJP-led NDA. He said that the reasons for Kumar’s switch are obvious and that the INDIA alliance will fight in Bihar with full strength.
“You can guess what would have been the reasons for his leaving. He has betrayed the people of Bihar and the mandate they gave to the INDIA alliance. We will fight in Bihar as part of the INDIA alliance and we are confident of winning,” he said.
