Courtesy – theindianprint.com
Lucknow: Since the opposition’s INDIA bloc received higher-than-expected votes in the June 4 Lok Sabha election, which left the governing BJP in need of the TDP and JD-U to form a government, Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been very busy. With 29 Lok Sabha seats, the TMC ranks third among the Indian bloc’s political parties.
Abhishek Banerjee initially spent an hour with Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the SP, on Thursday morning. He then got to know Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chaddha, two AAP leaders. Banerjee met with Uddhav and Aditya Thackeray, the leaders of Shiv Sena-UBT, at “Matoshree” in Mumbai in the evening, accompanied by party member Derek O’Brien. The allies of India reportedly discussed the next course of action during the 90-minute discussion, according to sources.
These kinds of courtesy calls are common, but Abhishek Banerjee’s two consecutive meetings with the INDIA bloc’s regional satraps are more significant.
I.N.D.I.A. UNITY
The sessions first give the impression that the INDIA group, which has chosen to sit in opposition, is united. The opposition is prepared to put pressure on the NDA on important matters in Parliament, such as the dispute over central funding for West Bengal, now that it has a larger majority in the next Lok Sabha.
In addition to wanting to have a coordinated plan to advance concerns in their state, the regional parties in India would also want to create tactical pressure on the Congress, which is generally seen as the head of the INDIA group.
MANAGEMENTAL COERCION ON CONGRESS
The smaller parties within the opposition alliance would want to remind the Congress that, although though it now has 99 seats and is the biggest party in the INDIA bloc, it still needs the backing of regional parties in order to mount a strong defense.
According to sources, if the parties had agreed to seat-sharing in the state, the TMC thinks the alliance’s seat total would have been higher. Jawahar Sarkar, a TMC MP, tweeted the same thing on Thursday.
Additionally, the TMC is against a Congress that leans left. During her rallies, Mamata Banerjee also said that the Congress “listens to the Left in INDIA.”
GUARD THE FLOCK
Such gatherings, according to political watchers, are essential to keeping the flock together for the alliance’s greater good. Political circles are already buzzing about moves to snatch leaders and MLAs in Maharashtra ahead of the state’s elections later this year. Meeting the Thackrays is a symbolic act of alliance support for Banerjee.
The opposition can only successfully corner the government in the Lok Sabha with a sizable majority; thus, it is imperative to keep its MPs from being taken by other parties. On the day of the results, Mamata Banerjee had also filed an appeal against her alliance with the BJP.
