NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he shares very good personal relations with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and negotiations for seat-sharing between the two parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections were on track.
“Our talks for seat-sharing are going on in the right direction and you will see the results. I would not want to comment on that over here.I share very good personal relations with Mamata and our parties also share good relations,” Rahul said when asked about the differences over seat-sharing.
This, even as Mamata accused the Congress of delaying the seat-sharing talks with unjustified demand for 10-12 Lok Sabha constituencies when her party was willing to share only two.
Mamata conveyed the stance during a closed-door organisational meeting of the party’s unit of Birbhum.
A senior TMC leader, preferring anonymity, shared insights of the meeting, and stated, “Our party supremo clearly said that we don’t need to think about seat-sharing talks with the Congress. She said that the party had offered two seats to them. But the Congress at times is demanding 10-12 seats.”
On Monday, Mamata had put forth the idea of regional leaders spearheading the fight against the BJP in specific regions and suggested that the Congress can independently contest 300 Lok Sabha seats.
Rahul plays down Adhir’s attacks on Mamata
Rahul Gandhi also played down the sharp attacks on the Trinamool chief by West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Choudhury.
“There would be times when some leaders from their party would say something and some leaders from our party would say something. These are normal things and will not disrupt the talks,” Rahul said.
Adhir Ranjan Choudhury is a bitter critic of Mamata Banerjee and has been unsparing in his attacks on the West Bengal chief minister. So much so that the Trinamool leaders call him BJP’s agent. When there were reports that the Trinamool Congress is willing to spare only two seats for the Congress, Adhir had said that the Congress did not want Mamata’s mercy. When the ED team was attacked in West Bengal, Adhir had joined the BJP in demanding President’s rule in the state. Nitish Kumar’s party had objected to Adhir’s remarks and had said that he is helping the BJP.
Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the Left of striving to control the opposition bloc’s agenda and asserted that no one confronts the BJP as directly as she does. The TMC leader expressed her unwillingness to accept the Left Front led by CPM controlling the agenda of the INDIA bloc meeting.
“I suggested the name INDIA during the opposition bloc meeting. But whenever I attend the meeting, I find the Left trying to control it. This is not acceptable. I cannot agree with those with whom I had fought for 34 years,” she said.
“Despite such insults, I have adjusted and attended the INDIA bloc meetings,” she added.
“Our talks for seat-sharing are going on in the right direction and you will see the results. I would not want to comment on that over here.I share very good personal relations with Mamata and our parties also share good relations,” Rahul said when asked about the differences over seat-sharing.
This, even as Mamata accused the Congress of delaying the seat-sharing talks with unjustified demand for 10-12 Lok Sabha constituencies when her party was willing to share only two.
Mamata conveyed the stance during a closed-door organisational meeting of the party’s unit of Birbhum.
A senior TMC leader, preferring anonymity, shared insights of the meeting, and stated, “Our party supremo clearly said that we don’t need to think about seat-sharing talks with the Congress. She said that the party had offered two seats to them. But the Congress at times is demanding 10-12 seats.”
On Monday, Mamata had put forth the idea of regional leaders spearheading the fight against the BJP in specific regions and suggested that the Congress can independently contest 300 Lok Sabha seats.
Rahul plays down Adhir’s attacks on Mamata
Rahul Gandhi also played down the sharp attacks on the Trinamool chief by West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Choudhury.
“There would be times when some leaders from their party would say something and some leaders from our party would say something. These are normal things and will not disrupt the talks,” Rahul said.
Adhir Ranjan Choudhury is a bitter critic of Mamata Banerjee and has been unsparing in his attacks on the West Bengal chief minister. So much so that the Trinamool leaders call him BJP’s agent. When there were reports that the Trinamool Congress is willing to spare only two seats for the Congress, Adhir had said that the Congress did not want Mamata’s mercy. When the ED team was attacked in West Bengal, Adhir had joined the BJP in demanding President’s rule in the state. Nitish Kumar’s party had objected to Adhir’s remarks and had said that he is helping the BJP.
Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the Left of striving to control the opposition bloc’s agenda and asserted that no one confronts the BJP as directly as she does. The TMC leader expressed her unwillingness to accept the Left Front led by CPM controlling the agenda of the INDIA bloc meeting.
“I suggested the name INDIA during the opposition bloc meeting. But whenever I attend the meeting, I find the Left trying to control it. This is not acceptable. I cannot agree with those with whom I had fought for 34 years,” she said.
“Despite such insults, I have adjusted and attended the INDIA bloc meetings,” she added.
