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Ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting on Monday, West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh called the alliance "non-existent," pointing out the differences between Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, Ghosh noted that former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been "forced" to attend the INDIA bloc meeting after the TMC "collapsed" and lost the Assembly elections. The BJP leader said, "The alliance is non-existent. Mamata Banerjee never used to attend any meeting of it, but now she is forced to. Her own party MLAs and MPs are not with her. No MLA, MP, or councillors are active; they don't even come to their respective offices. Such is the condition of TMC, collapsed the moment it got removed from power." West Bengal BJP has questioned the unity among the INDIA bloc parties as the TMC and Congress stood against each other in the electoral contest in the state. On Sunday, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya took a swipe at the opposition over what he described as contradictions within the alliance, dismissing them as a "laughable issue" ahead of its scheduled meeting in New Delhi. Speaking to ANI, Bhattacharya questioned the cohesion of the opposition alliance and cited the political rivalry between the TMC and the Congress in West Bengal as an example of the bloc's internal challenges. "This is a laughable issue. Have you ever heard until today that all the parties in the INDIA alliance are holding a joint press conference? In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee openly fought elections against the Congress. Where is the INDIA alliance?" Bhattacharya asked. INDIA bloc leaders are scheduled to meet in New Delhi today. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee left for Delhi on Sunday to take part in the meeting. TMC leaders Dola Sen and Kalyan Banerjee were also present at the Kolkata airport. This will be the first INDIA bloc meeting after the Trinamool Congress lost the West Bengal assembly polls to the BJP. While Congress has maintained that the alliance remains "unified" in its ideological opposition to the Central government, there exist cracks wide open. The absence of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the simmering internal disputes suggest a complex path forward. DMK, which has had a long partnership with Congress, has decided not to participate in the meeting over "betrayal" by Congress in Tamil Nadu, as the party backed the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in post-poll politics. According to senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, 23 political parties will be in attendance at the meeting, which will take place at the Constitution Club in the national capital. Ramesh emphasised that despite not being in attendance, the parties have conveyed their opposition to the "policies and actions" of the Central government. "They have strongly opposed those policies and actions of the Modi government that are stripping millions of Indians of their right to vote, attacking the Constitution daily, targeting opposition leaders through investigative agencies, causing serious harm to the livelihoods of crores of Indians, continuously disrupting household budgets through relentless inflation, betraying the hopes and aspirations of lakhs of youth, weakening the investment climate, and compromising national interests through their foreign policy. Like India, INDIA Janbandhan stands united with its diversity," said Ramesh on X. (ANI)
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