O'Brien blames Adhir Ranjan for TMC-Congress impasse in Bengal
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O'Brien has blamed West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for the unsuccessful alliance between the two parties in West Bengal. He accused Chowdhury of being one of the only two speaking out against the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This comes after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee announced that her party will run solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Why does this story matter?
The opposition bloc, INDIA, was formed in July 2023. The coalition of 28 political parties aims to challenge the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 general elections. However, discussions over seat-sharing were kept on the back burner until January of this year. On Wednesday, Banjerjee pulled the plug on the alliance in the state after talks on sharing seats fell through. The TMC reportedly offered two seats to the Congress, but the latter demanded at least 10.
Because of Chowdhury and his daily rant: TMC
"It is because of him and his daily rant that things have fallen flat. After the Chief Minister's byte yesterday, they (Congress) are getting into damage control. It is too late now," a Trinamool source told NDTV. The insider further stated that the TMC "was very patient" during the seat-sharing discussions. "We were gracious enough. But all we saw was delay after delay," they claimed.
Chowdhury called Banerjee 'opportunist'
Prior to the TMC's shocking announcement, Chowdhury had called Banerjee an "opportunist" leader and said the Congress would contest the elections on its own. "This time, the elections will not be fought at the mercy of Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee is an opportunist; she came to power in 2011 with the mercy of Congress," he said at a press conference.
Is TMC still part of INDIA?
Given the circumstances, when asked if the TMC remains part of INDIA, O'Brien implied that it will depend on the election result. "If the Congress does its job and defeats the BJP on a substantial number of seats, the TMC will very much be a part of the front that believes and fights for the Constitution," he said. The Congress, meanwhile, is in disaster control mode, with Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh saying that INDIA "cannot be imagined without Banerjee."
Blow for Congress in Punjab too
To add salt to the wound, Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday also ruled out an alliance between the two parties in the state. "In Punjab, we will not do anything (alliance with Congress) like that, we have nothing with Congress," Mann said at a press conference. The AAP is also in talks with the Congress regarding seat-sharing in Delhi.
