Mani Shankar Aiyar has mentioned the Congress will proceed to be main drive in INDIA bloc
The Congress ought to be able to not be the chief of the INDIA Opposition bloc, veteran celebration chief and former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has mentioned in an interview to The Indian Specific. Requested if another celebration may lead the INDIA bloc, Mr Aiyar mentioned, “I do not suppose it is a related query. I feel the Congress ought to be able to not be the chief of the bloc. Let whoever needs to be the chief be the chief. There’s competence in Mamata Banerjee… There’s competence in others within the alliance.”
“So, I do not care who turns into the chief as a result of I feel the place of the Congress celebration and of the Congress chief will at all times be a significant one. It does not need to be the one one. Will probably be the main one within the INDIA bloc. I’m positive Rahul (Gandhi) will probably be handled with much more respect than he could be because the president of the alliance,” mentioned the 83-year-old, who has come out with the second quantity of his autobiography A Maverick in Politics.
The senior Congress chief’s remarks come in opposition to the backdrop of a management tussle throughout the Opposition bloc fashioned final yr to tackle the BJP’s formidable election equipment. The grand alliance technique labored properly within the Lok Sabha election and the ruling BJP was restricted to beneath the bulk mark. The alliance, nevertheless, has proved to be tough in areas the place two INDIA companions are electoral rivals. This has drawn assaults from the BJP, which has termed the bloc “opportunistic”.
The Congress, which doubled its Lok Sabha election rating this time, has since suffered setbacks in Haryana and Maharashtra polls. Quickly after the Maharashtra outcomes, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a veiled swipe on the Grand Previous Celebration. She mentioned “everybody must be taken alongside” because the Opposition bloc strikes in opposition to the BJP-ruled central authorities. Requested why she was not taking cost, Ms Banerjee mentioned, “If given the chance, I might guarantee its easy functioning. I do not need to go exterior Bengal, however I can run it from right here.”
Veteran Opposition leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Pawar threw their weight behind Ms Banerjee.
“Congress’s objection means nothing. We’ll help Mamata… Mamata Banerjee ought to be given the management (of the INDIA Bloc),” the RJD founder mentioned.
NCP founder Sharad Pawar mentioned, “Sure, definitely (she is able to main the alliance). She is a outstanding chief of this nation… she has that functionality. The elected leaders she despatched to Parliament are accountable, dutiful, and well-aware individuals. Due to this fact, she has the precise to say so.”
Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Sanjay Raut had mentioned Mamata Banerjee ought to be a significant accomplice of the INDIA alliance. “We all know this opinion of Mamata ji. We additionally need her to be a significant accomplice of the INDIA alliance. Whether or not it’s Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal or Shiv Sena, we’re all collectively,” he mentioned.