Abhishek Banerjee meets Rahul Gandhi: Amid growing rebellion and a string of resignations in the Trinamool Congress, the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on June 10. The two leaders discussed opposition unity and the future strategy of the INDIA bloc. The meeting came a day after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. A senior TMC MP said more meetings between Abhishek Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi are likely in the coming weeks as opposition parties work on a stronger strategy against the BJP IN 2029.
Congress leaders in West Bengal divided: Congress leaders in West Bengal appear divided over the possibility of closer ties with the TMC, as talks between the two parties’ top leadership sparked fresh political speculation. A large number of MLAs are reportedly backing a rebel faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, while several Lok Sabha MPs have reportedly aligned with Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.
Rebel MLAs, MPs in TMC: Amid the shifting allegiance, more than 100 TMC councillors from seven municipalities have resigned. In the Rajya Sabha, Among the 13 TMC members, two – Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev – have resigned. A breakaway group led by Ritabrata Banerjee has claimed the support of 60 of the party’s 80 MLAs, who have apparently backed Ritabrata as the Leader of Opposition in Bengal. However, the group has not completely dissociated itself from Mamata Banerjee.
TMC leaders deny possible merger with Congress
Amid rumours of a possible merger between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress, TMC leaders on Wednesday strongly denied any such move. A senior TMC leader dismissed the reports as baseless and said the party had no information about any merger plan.Later, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also rejected the speculation. He said some media reports about what was discussed during the meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee were 'completely inaccurate'.(PTI)
