INDIA Bloc To Decide On Convenor Soon? Congress Refuses To Cede Space Amid Clamour For Mamata

Last Updated:December 11, 2024, 10:38 IST

The opposition alliance is expected to meet after the Parliament session to revisit the strategy to take on the BJP though the real issue that could see fireworks will be who leads the bloc

The Congress has pitched for Rahul Gandhi as the leader and its grounds are that the BJP reacts to him each time he runs the campaign. (PTI)

The INDIA bloc is likely to have a meeting post the Parliament session — the first after the Lok Sabha results and also after Congress losses in Haryana and Maharashtra. Sources say the meeting, which is likely in January, has been called to revisit the strategy to take on the BJP and build up momentum ahead of other important state polls in Delhi and Bihar. But the real issue, which could see some furious discussions, could be the issue of who will be the convenor of the alliance.

So far, apart from Trinamool Congress, RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav, NCP, Aam Aadmi Party and Samajwadi Party have supported the bid for Mamata Banerjee to be convenor. TMC MP Sushmita Dev made this clear when she said: “Mamata Banerjee is a seven-term MP, four-time Union minister, a serving three-time chief minister on the brink of a fourth term. With these credentials, there’s little need to peddle her CV. Her consistent record on good governance and the ability to comprehensively defat the BJP electorally have spurred many leaders across the country to see her in a larger role."

The spanner in the works, however, is the Congress. News18 has learnt that in the meeting Rahul Gandhi held with his party MPs, he told them that electoral losses should not be seen as a deterrent. He added that it is only the Congress that has not compromised in its fight against the BJP and is in no race for any leadership role.

The fact is that Congress is not keen to cede space to any other party in the bloc. It has pitched for Rahul Gandhi as the leader and its grounds are that the BJP reacts to him each time he runs the campaign. His campaigns do have resonance on the ground and the electoral losses can be attributed to a faulty electoral process, not Rahul Gandhi or the party.

Sources say Congress leaders and Gandhi suggested that Banerjee had compromised and also negotiated with the BJP on a case-by-case basis. The party feels in case she is made the convenor, the image of the INDIA bloc as a front to take on the BJP could be compromised.

The January meeting is likely to be more about the leadership role than the fight against the BJP, which many argue defats the whole purpose of forming an INDIA bloc.

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