Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the party is hopeful that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee will continue to be part of the INDIA bloc. He said the “situation could be better” as that it is not a good sign for the image of INDIA alliance.
Amid several reports suggesting Nitish Kumar’s alliance with the BJP in Bihar, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party chief Mallikarjun Kharge is “trying to speak with the Bihar chief minister”. Ramesh said Kharge made several attempts to speak with Nitish Kumar, but as both of them are very busy, no conversation could be held between them.
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“There will be a time…they have called back but no conversation could be held between them so far…this happens sometimes,” Ramesh said. He added that former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been given the task to handle the situation in Bihar.
Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was quoted by ANI as saying that he will speak only after getting proper information and “those interested in saving democracy will not change their minds and will stay with us”. Kharge said he would have full information when he reaches Delhi.
“I wrote a letter and tried to talk with them… What they have in mind is not clear. I am travelling to Dehradun tomorrow, then move to Delhi. I will get full information. Otherwise, it creates confusion. Let us see what will happen. We don’t know…if they are approaching Governor,” Kharge told reporters in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi.
At the press conference on Saturday, Jairam Ramesh also highlighted the importance Nitish Kumar has in the INDIA bloc. He said one of the architects of the alliance is the Bihar Chief Minister and one of the co-architects is the West Bengal Chief Minister.
Ramesh said, “On June 23 (2023), Nitish Kumar had invited 18 political parties and the first meet of opposition parties was held in Patna and the Bihar Chief Minister had hosted it. The second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The alliance was named ‘INDIA’…In that meeting too, Nitish Kumar played an important role. The third meeting was held on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai. In that meeting also…Nitish Kumar’s contribution was important.”
The statement by Congress leaders came as uncertainty looms over the JD(U)-RJD alliance in Bihar. Several reports claimed that Nitish Kumar may ditch the INDIA alliance and return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, there has been no official confirmation on these claims. Meanwhile, RJD and Congress leaders have sought clarification on the same, asking Kumar to “clear the confusion” on the matter.
On TMC going solo in Lok Sabha Elections
Jairam Ramesh also commented on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declaration that her party, the TMC, will go solo in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. The Congress said Banerjee “expressed some reservation… she ended up saying that she will fight the BJP uncompromisingly”. He said, “This gives us hope for the middle-path”.
“Her (Mamata Banerjee) target is defeating the BJP…she wants to beat the BJP and this is also the target of the Congress and the INDIA alliance. Therefore, this is not a matter of controversy,” Jairam Ramesh said while invited the West Bengal CM to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
He said Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi respect Mamata Banerjee and know that the TMC and Mamata Banerjee’s presence will be important to beat the BJP.
He added the INDIA bloc is not “imploding but showing our democratic credentials”, adding that the “optics could have been better”.
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Published: 27 Jan 2024, 03:24 PM IST