Mamata meets Advani, Sonia; vows to defeat BJP in 2019
A day after she landed in the national Capital to lead the Opposition charge against the Modi Government over the NRC issue, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday was again at the centre of anti-BJP mobilisation as she spent her days holding talks with senior Opposition leaders in the pursuit of her avowed goal to defeat the BJP in 2019 general elections. The TMC office in Parliament was abuzz after Mamata arrived and Opposition leaders made a beeline to meet her.
Mamata also called on BJP veteran lK Advani, while rebel BJP MP Kirti Azad and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut met her in Parliament. In the evening, Mamata called on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her Janpath residence where Congress president Rahul Gandhi too was present. She ended the day after meeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Mamata had met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and party MP Supriya Sule on Tuesday making it their third meeting in recent time.
On Wednesday, Mamata met leaders of TDP, YSR (Congress), DMK, RJD, SP and JD(S) and invited them to her rally in Kolkata on January 19. When Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena came to meet Mamata at the TMC office, she invited Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to the January 19 rally. Though a constituent of the NDA, the Sena has been openly critical of the Modi Government. Mamata also met JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda at Karnataka Bhavan and invited him to the rally.
While she has taken the lead in consolidating the Opposition, the TMC chief set aside speculation and stated she is not vying for the post of Prime Minister and the candidate for the top post would be chosen collectively by all Opposition parties.
Mamata met Advani for about 20 minutes at his chamber in Parliament and termed it a “courtesy call”. “I know Advaniji for a very long time. I went to enquire about his health. It was a courtesy call,” Mamata said after the meeting.
later in the evening, she called on Sonia Gandhi. “We are all for all. We will take a decision on collective leadership. If all Opposition political parties can join hands and work together in Parliament, then why not fight unitedly outside,” the TMC supremo told reporters after her nearly half-an-hour long meeting at 10 Janpath.
On the Congress’ indication of its willingness to accept her candidature as Opposition’s PM face, she said, “I am not for any chair, our aim is to defeat the BJP.”
Almost all the Opposition parties are holding preliminary talks to put a united fight against the BJP in the lok Sabha polls next year.
“We discussed current politics and the possibility of all of us contesting elections together in future. We also discussed the NRC issue,” Mamata said, adding that whenever she is in Delhi she makes it a point to meet Sonia because of her old cordial relationship. On the occasion, she labelled the BJP as “the real infiltrator”, adding that the party is interfering in everything.
Suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad also came to meet her in Parliament, followed by Congress leaders Gulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel, and Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav. “Her efforts to unite Opposition leaders are commendable,” Azad said after the meeting.
The TMC chief said the first priority is to bring all Opposition parties together to take on the BJP in the coming lok Sabha elections. “I am not for any post. I am interested in seeing that all parties should work together. All political parties will sit together and decide,” she told reporters while replying to queries on the issue.
Mamata later went to the Central Hall of Parliament to meet other Opposition leaders and invited them to the rally. She also appealed to all the Opposition parties to send a joint delegation to the Election Commission against EVM tampering and holding polls on ballots. “All Opposition parties should go to EC on this matter,” Mamata told the Congress and other Opposition leaders.
The West Bengal Chief Minister has also appealed to leaders to send an all Opposition-party delegation to Assam stating that though TMC delegation would be visiting Assam on Thursday, other parties too should create pressure on the Government.
Attacking the Centre on Assam’s National Register of Citizens final draft, she said, “People whose names have been kept out are from Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, West Bengal. We want them to live peacefully. Some of them are living for 100 years for five generations in Assam. How can you do this to themij”
“I do not know what the BJP wants -- a civil war or a blood bath. But we do not want it,” she said.
On a tie-up with the Congress in West Bengal, she said every party will take their own decision.
“I cannot interfere in the Congress’ decisions. We believe that the strongest in a State should take on the BJP,” she said.