Reacting to the reported tussle between Congress and Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee wants to be the leader of the opposition as Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi's days are over.
"These dramas are very old... Every party wants to be the leader (of Opposition parties). Mamata Banerjee wants to be the leader. Now the days of Sonia Gandhi are over," said Ghosh.
As per reports, a cold war between Congress and TMC is visible during the winter session of Parliament. As the TMC is heading for pan-India expansion, the two parties are avoiding an open confrontation, but the rift between the two is seen in their actions.
TMC skipped the opposition meeting called by the leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge before the commencement of the winter session. On the first day of the session, Congress staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue while the TMC MP staged a separate protest.
TMC also skipped the meeting called by the leader of the opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in his office in Parliament over the suspension of 12 opposition MPs from the Rajya Sabha. For the joint statement of 11 Opposition parties, the TMC chose to distance itself and held a separate press conference.
TMC is expanding pan-India and the biggest loser seems to be the Congress Party. There is induction of new leaders from the other parties, TMC started from Assam where Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev joined TMC and this trend reached Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and then Meghalaya where the leader of the opposition in Meghalaya assembly Mukul Sangma and other MLAs merged with the TMC.
Recently Mamata Banerjee visited Delhi but she did not meet Sonia Gandhi. When asked by reporters why she did not meet Gandhi, Banerjee said, "Is it mandatory to meet Mrs Gandhi?"
( With inputs from ANI )
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