Mamata unlikely to attend INDIA bloc meet in Delhi on Dec 6

I will be visiting North Bengal from December 6- December 11. I was not aware of the meeting date on December 6. Had I known about the meeting date beforehand, then I could have rescheduled my visit: Bengal Chief Minister

Mamata Banerjee.: File picture

PTI, Calcutta, 04.12.23 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she won't be able to attend the upcoming opposition INDIA bloc meeting scheduled in Delhi on December 6, citing prior engagements in North Bengal.

Banerjee said she was unaware of the meeting date and indicated that had she been informed in advance, "she would have rescheduled her itinerary." Leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are set to convene at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on December 6 to formulate a strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as per sources on Sunday.

"I will be visiting North Bengal from December 6- December 11. I was not aware of the meeting date on December 6. Had I known about the meeting date beforehand, then I could have rescheduled my visit," Banerjee told reporters outside Raj Bhawan.

The participation of any other leader from the party at the meeting remains unclear at this point.

Banerjee, accompanied by her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, has consistently attended previous meetings of the INDIA opposition bloc.

During the anticipated meeting on Wednesday evening, leaders are expected to deliberate and finalise their plan to collectively confront the BJP in the lead-up to the polls. 

Earlier in the day, Mamata said if there is proper consensus on seat sharing ahead of the 2024 LokSabha elections, the saffron party will not be able to retain power at the Centre. On BJP's win in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan Assembly polls, she said there was nothing to rejoice for the saffron party as the vote margins were slim. 

Speaking at the assembly, Banerjee said BJP won more seats than the Congress in Rajasthan because of split in votes among opponents. "A strategy has to be finalised. I think BJP won't come to power if seats sharing is finalised," she added. 

Meanwhile, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday claimed that the Congress, which faced defeats in Assembly elections in three states, was suffering from complacency and called for addressing its "internal strife" before the LokSabha elections due next year.Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, emphasised the necessity for "concrete actions rather than mere rhetoric" for uniting the Opposition. 

Banerjee said that had the internal differences within the Congress been resolved before the assembly elections, the results could have been different.

"I don't want to blame anyone, but I will say that many Congress leaders are suffering from complacency and pride. They are not providing opportunities to those deserving and are striving to stay in the limelight. The drawback of the Congress is that the deserving workers were not given a chance to work, and the competent ones were sidelined," he said. 

As the de facto number two in the TMC, a key constituent of the Opposition INDIA alliance, Banerjee emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts, urging everyone to set aside political ego and allow strong and competent individuals in their respective regions a chance to fight. 

"In the Congress, for those who want to fight unitedly against the BJP, I would say that not much time is left. The attempt to bring everyone together should gain momentum. It should be reflected in actions and not in their words," he said.