Rahul Gandhi backs one-party fight
NEW DELHI: The Congress leadership on Thursday dismissed reports of a merger with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, calling them “completely wrong” and baseless rumours.
“This is a total rumour. We have made it clear. The news of a merger is completely wrong and baseless,” Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said after a meeting with general secretaries, in-charges and state unit chiefs.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Bhupesh Baghel, in-charges, PCC chiefs, among others, participated.
His remarks came amid speculation following meetings between Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
Venugopal said the interactions were part of discussions within the INDIA bloc and should not be interpreted as talks related to any merger between the two parties.
“Abhishek and Mamata ji met Sonia ji and Rahul Gandhi. That is part of the INDIA bloc meeting,” Venugopal said.
The Congress is the only party which is not breaking down ideologically and therefore it is best suited to take on the RSS-BJP, Rahul Gandhi said at the party meeting on Thursday amid the TMC political crisis.
“If one party is not breaking down ideologically, it is the Congress. If there is one party that can fight the RSS-BJP, it is the Congress,” Gandhi was quoted as saying by the sources.
Rahul asserted that the party will strengthen further in the next couple of years due to its ideological steadfastness, sources said.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee held a meeting in New Delhi on 10 June, amid efforts by the opposition INDIA bloc to strengthen coordination and maintain unity.
The meeting at 10 Janpath took place a day after Mamata Banerjee met former Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence and discussed ways to further consolidate the opposition alliance.
Some reports on Wednesday said that Sonia Gandhi had offered Mamata the position of national vice-president of the Congress.
The meeting came at a time when the Trinamool is in disarray with 60 of its 80 MLAs claiming they represented the party and claiming the Opposition role in the Bengal Assembly.
Three of its 13 Rajya Sabha MPs have also resigned and 20 out of its 28 Lok Sabha MPs have joined the NDA, casting doubts over the political future of Mamata and Abhishek.
Venugopal also criticised the double standards in the election process after the nomination of Congress Rajya Sabha candidate in Madhya Pradesh, Meenakshi Natarajan, was rejected by the Election Commission, while NDA-backed Independent Rajya Sabha candidate Parimal Nathwani’s papers were accepted despite errors.
“We will fight this politically and legally,” said Venugopal.
Agencies