"They aren't enough to fight alone with BJP": Sukanta Majumdar attacks CM Mamta Banerjee ahead of INDIA bloc meeting
Dec 19, 2023
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 19 : Ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting to be held in New Delhi today, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that she understood that they weren't enough to fight alone against the BJP.
"The CM (Mamata Banerjee) has understood that they aren't enough to fight alone with the BJP... That's why they're all trying to come together..." said Sukanta Majumdar.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the INDIA bloc's meeting scheduled for today will be an opportunity to discuss the seat-sharing formula among the Opposition parties, with just months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The fourth meeting of the Opposition's grand alliance is slated to take place today in the national capital, during which seat-sharing discussions are likely to be on the agenda of various parties.
"I think all will be together. There is an opportunity to discuss this seat-sharing matter...Tomorrow is a great opportunity to discuss it in detail. The majority of political parties will agree to one-to-one seat sharing; maybe one or two may not agree...I don't have any motto or vendetta to not walk with anybody," West Bengal CM.
On delay in seat sharing within INDIA alliance, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, "It is not late. Better late than never..."
When asked if she wants an alliance with Congress in West Bengal, CM Banerjee said that she has no problem if the grand old party has genuine things.
"Somebody must bell the cat...I don't have any problem if they have genuine things. But in West Bengal, they have only two seats. I am open to talks and discuss," she added.
The meeting of the leaders of the INDIA bloc will be held on December 19 in the national capital.
Taking to 'X', Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The 4th meeting of the leaders of INDIA parties will be held on Tuesday, December 19th, 2023, in New Delhi at 3 p.m."
Seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls, which are just four months away, is likely to be at the top of the agenda for the next INDIA bloc meeting and will be crucial for Congress, particularly as the party lost Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, the Hindi heartland states.
The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting happened in Mumbai on August 31-September 1.
INDIA or 'Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance' is a group of opposition parties, including the Congress. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
