Claiming that “Narendra Modi-vs-Rahul Gandhi” is an old and outdated narrative, the Trinamool Congress has said a new model has to be brought in place to defeat the BJP in 2024 general elections.
Giving a thumbs down to the sewing up a grand alliance, the TMC suggested the regional parties should take on the BJP in their respective States with the other parties giving them the necessary backup.
Incidentally, this was the same refrain the TMC made in the past also.
The TMC leadership has, however, said this model should be allowed to work in all the States save Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand.
TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien on Monday said, “Except for Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, there is no need for a so-called grand alliance. On the stage on July 21, Mamata Banerjee made it clear she will fight to defeat the BJP wherever she can, then all will come together.”
The TMC leaders also put Assam in the grand alliance list but ignored the Congress, which is the ruling party in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and the principal Opposition party in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
Accordingly, regional forces like the AAP in Punjab and Delhi, the DMK in Tamil Nadu, the TRS in Telangana, the TMC in Bengal, and the SP in Uttar Pradesh should take on the BJP in the respective States, he said.
In that case, if the BJP can be restricted to about 250 seats then some of its friendly parties like the YSR Congress and the BJD may join the post-poll alliance.
According to a senior TMC leader, Mamata is currently not willing to project herself as the leader of any grand alliance after the recent raids and arrest of some senior TMC leaders. On the contrary, she is willing to play the role of a “catalyst.”
The leader would not however dwell on whether the TMC leadership had any talks with the Congress on the issue.