Now Reading: Priyanka Gandhi and Kalyan Banerjee trade barbs over TMC-Congress ties
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Priyanka Gandhi and Kalyan Banerjee trade barbs over TMC-Congress ties
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee exchanged sharp remarks outside Makar Dwar in Parliament on Thursday. While Banerjee protested the merger of TMC MPs with the NCPI,…
The Story in Brief
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee exchanged sharp remarks outside Makar Dwar in Parliament on Thursday. While Banerjee protested the merger of TMC MPs with the NCPI, Vadra said, 'You took them from Congress to TMC.' Banerjee replied that Mamata Banerjee was thrown out of Congress in 1997, to which Vadra countered that Rajiv Gandhi always promoted her. Banerjee agreed.
The exchange highlights the complex ties between Congress and TMC. They are allies in the INDIA bloc nationally but rivals in West Bengal, where the BJP won power for the first time in May. A group of about 20 TMC MPs has reached out to the BJP, and 58 of 80 TMC MLAs have backed a rebel leader. Banerjee was suspended last week for alleged indecent behaviour.
The Indian Opinion
The banter between Priyanka Gandhi and Kalyan Banerjee is being spun as either a sign of opposition unity or a deep Congress-TMC rift. Both narratives are exaggerated. Their parties already cooperate in Delhi against the BJP but remain bitter rivals in Bengal. The real test will be whether Mamata Banerjee's TMC joins the INDIA bloc for the next Lok Sabha polls or goes solo again. Numbers will settle the question: how many of the 58 rebel TMC MLAs in Bengal return to the party fold?
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
