Mamata Banerjee's "there is no UPA" barb after a meeting in Mumbai with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, an ally of the Congress in Maharashtra, evoked a strong response from the party, currently being led by interim president Sonia Gandhi.
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At an event in Mumbai, the TMC chief said if all regional parties come together then defeating the BJP will be very easy. The Trinamool Congress was once part of the UPA or the United Progressive Alliance, an alliance of several parties, including the Congress, that remained in power at the Centre for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 when the BJP came to power.
After the TMC's landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections held earlier this year, Mamata is continuously pitching for a strong alternative at the national level, but indirectly taking on the Congress.
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In a seeming attempt at pan-national expansion or alliance with "like-minded parties" ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, she recently visited Delhi and Mumbai, where she held a series of meetings with top leaders of various political outfits.
However, she didn't meet Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi during her last visit.
Interestingly, during her Delhi visit in July this year, Mamata Banerjee had met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
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Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha termed the meeting between Mamata Banerjee and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar as a "pre-meditated conspiracy" to weaken the grand old party and alleged the TMC chief had become "BJP's oxygen supplier."
Sources said that the responsibility of making political attacks on Mamata has been tasked to top leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge, Digvijaya Singh and Randeep Surjewala.
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Targeting the TMC chief, Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas wrote on Twitter, "Ask any question to Modi ji, you will be called a Deshdrohi.. Ask any question to Mamta Di, you will be called a Maoist... What's the difference between both?"
What is UPA? There is no UPA, Mamata Banerjee after meeting with Sharad Pawar Mumbai: There is no United Progressive Alliance (UPA) now, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday after her meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar in Mumbai. Read more -PTC News
