‘What a joke!’: Congress snubs TMC for suggesting Mamata as INDIA bloc face | India News

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Tuesday rejected the idea of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee becoming leader of the INDIA bloc terming the suggestion a “joke”.
“That’s a good joke,” Tagore quipped when asked about TMC leaders’ remarks.
This comes after TMC MP Kirti Azad asserted that Mamata was a better face to lead the opposition bloc adding that she had a perfect record against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Mamata Banerjee has a perfect record. Whenever Narendra Modi has faced defeat, it has always been in West Bengal. Even in the recent by-elections, where the BJP had one seat and we had five, Mamata Didi hit a six and threw Narendra Modi out of the West Bengal boundary. Every time he comes to Bengal intending to insult, his vote count increases, and she, a very senior leader, continues to clearly express her views,” Azad said.
“While the Indian government has said nothing despite the serious situation in Bangladesh, she has stated that if the Indian government does not act, the United Nations should step in to protect minorities wherever they are. Mamata Banerjee is not just a leader but a movement present in every household in West Bengal,” he added.
The TMC MP further said that Mamata takes everyone along with respect.
“Mamata Didi is someone who takes everyone along. She prepares thoroughly before calling people for meetings. There are times when emergency meetings are held, but she ensures that all her people are invited with respect and engages in dialogue with her allies,” Azad said.
Mamata Banerjee’s party is working out its own space within the INDIA bloc, essentially to have its own say within the group, even while Congress remains the largest party and hence gets to lead the opposition charge. Congress’ recent electoral defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra and TMC’s victory in the Bengal bypolls have pushed the regional party into taking its own line, rather than following Congress, while remaining within the opposition bloc.
Earlier, referring to the MVA’s poor performance, TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee said that the whole alliance failed to meet expectations in the absence of a leader.
“Today, if we genuinely want to fight against the BJP and Narendra Modi, the INDIA alliance must be stronger. To achieve that, one decisive leader is necessary. The key question now is: who will that leader be?” Banerjee said, hinting at Mamata Banerjee as a potential contender to challenge the BJP and PM Modi.