A majority of Bengal Pradesh Congress leaders are against party president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi joining the united Opposition rally called by Mamata Banerjee.
Though no PCC leader would go on record saying, “any decision would be taken by the high command” and that “the State unit has always followed the top leadership’s decisions,” inside sources said that some senior State leaders have virtually extracted words from national leader Ranjit Surjewala that Akbar Road will not circumvent the PCC in taking any decision regarding Mamata Banerjee.
“We have not only been decimated by the Trinamool Congress in Bengal — not by political means but brute force and money power — but also we are being subjected to humiliation every day. How can we take this?” asked a senior PCC leader and an office-bearer adding, “if we continue to capitulate before TMC like this then soon there will be no Congress person left in Bengal.”
Sources said though the high command does not want to ignore Banerjee at a time when both Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav have decided to contest the coming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh without holding the ‘hand’ they are also not unaware of the fomenting anger among the grassroots workers in Bengal Congress.
“Workers of almost the entire Nadia district have switched sides to the BJP. Similar is the condition in Birbhum, East Midnapore and other places. If we have to save the Congress from further decay we will have to take into account the sentiments of the grassroots workers,” said a PCC leader and a former Minister.
The Bengal Chief Minister has called a rally of all the anti-BJP parties at Kolkata’s historic Brigade Parade Ground. Among the key political figures invitees (including likely invitees) in the January 19 rally are National Conference leaders Farooq Adullah, his son Omar Abdullah, Gujarat leaders Jignesh Mewani and Hardik Patel, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal and Telengana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The Trinamool Congress chief has also said that she will invite her Kerala counterpart and CPI(M) leader Pinarai Vijayan and CPI’s D Raja. “We have invited all non-BJP parties. We have also managed to secure permission for the Brigade Parade grounds. Some of the leaders have confirmed their participation too,” the Chief Minister recently said.
At a time when the Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav are raising doubts over the Congress’ true intention to share power and uphold a true national alliance based on equity and equality Banerjee’s biggest weapon could be a rally and a photo op for the anti-BJP opposition leaders that could in the final run catapult her to the centre stage, experts feel.
According to sources the Chief Minister is also planning to invite Mayawati and Akihilesh Yadav to her rally, insiders said.
On whether the Congress wants Banerjee to leave some seats (at least four seats) for the party’s top leadership to join the January rally, a PCC leader who nourishes softer view on Banerjee said “we do not want to break a move to unite the opposition parties but that should not be done by humiliating the others. The Chief Minister has already said that the TMC will contest all the seats in Bengal alone. If that be so then how can she expect the parties like the Congress and even the Left to attend her rally.”