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BIG STORY FEBRUARY 09, 2024 | The Indian Eye 5

the ship, his fifth crossover in a little they won’t get even a single seat in
over a decade. the state,” said Mamata Banerjee.
INDIA or ‘Indian National De- Mamata spoke on how her good
velopmental Inclusive Alliance’ is a relationship with the Congress party
group of opposition parties, includ- deteriorated over time because of the
ing the Congress. The parties have Communist Party of India (Marxist).
come together to take on the Na- “CPM is the number one bro-
tional Democratic Alliance (NDA), ker of BJP, I have suffered a lot of
which is led by the Bharatiya Janata beatings from CPM and I will never
Party (BJP), and prevent it from win- forgive that. I had good contacts with
ning a third straight term at the Cen- Congress. Because of CPM, my rela-
tre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections tionship with the Congress party got
INDIA bloc is now trying to re- spoiled.”
cover from these shocks by trying The comments from the West
to rally support for Hemant Soren. Bengal CM come even as Congress
Members of the INDIA bloc has hit sources indicated that they were still
out at the arrest of former Jharkhand attempting to get Mamata on board
CM Hemant Soren by the ED alleg- as a potential ally and that seat-shar-
ing that the BJP was using agencies ing talks in Bengal were only on hold.
to destabilize governments. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves to the supporters as he leads the party’s Bharat Jodo “INDIA bloc seat sharing in
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief West Bengal is on hold. TMC and
Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday target- Nyay Yatra in Murshidabad on Thursday (ANI) Congress are considering the pro-
ed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) posals. TMC is still a part of INDIA
following the arrest of Jharkhand darity, bickering among the mem- forts will be made to defeat the BJP,” Alliance,” the party’s sources said.
Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chairper- bers have continued. Now, some he added. The rift between INDIA bloc
son Hemant Soren in a land scam members are doing damage control. Meanwhile, a meeting of the ally partners --Trinamool Congress
case and said that the “anti-tribal Following Uttar Pradesh Congress INDIA bloc was held in the nation- and Congress-- over a seat-sharing
face of BJP” is coming to the fore in-charge Avinash Pandey’s remarks al capital on Wednesday to discuss agreement in West Bengal continued
in Jharkhand. “BJP has already lost that the Samajwadi Party is adopting the seat-sharing agenda for the 2024 to spill into the open on Wednesday
the 2024 elections morally, now only a ‘one-sided’ policy in Uttar Pradesh, Lok Sabha elections. Congress Par- as West Bengal Chief Minister Ma-
its political defeat is yet to be an- party’s Chief Akhilesh Yadav assert- liamentary Party Chairperson Sonia mata Banerjee reiterated that she
nounced. Seeing such undemocratic ed on Wednesday that there will be Gandhi, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, won’t give even a single seat to the
actions of the BJP, even those who an alliance in the state and that the DMK leader TR Baalu, and CPI-M Congress party.
voted for them have already retreat- seats will be allocated ‘properly’. leader Sitaram Yechury left Kharge’s “We had given a proposal to the
ed this time. In the PDA which we are The Samajwadi Party (SP) an- residence after the meeting. Congress party of two seats in Malda,
continuously talking about, the tribal nounced the names of 16 candidates But, the rift between the INDIA but they didn’t agree on that. Now,
society is also included along with the for the upcoming Lok Sabha elec- bloc ally partners continued as Ben- they won’t get even a single seat in
backward classes, Dalits, minorities tions. The SP has offered 11 out of the gal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the state,” said Mamata Banerjee.
and half of the population i.e. wom- 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh reiterated that she wouldn’t give even With the Opposition alliance
en and the oppressed and unhappy to the Congress. “There will be an a single seat to the Congress party, threatening to fall apart amid rising
people among the advanced people,” alliance in Uttar Pradesh and seats and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar recent- differences over seat-sharing, West
he added. will be allocated properly. We will try ly dumped the Mahagathbandhan Bengal Chief Minister and ruling
Senior Congress leader Jairam to throw the Bharatiya Janata Party (grand alliance) and the INDIA bloc TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee,
Ramesh also took a hit at the cen- (BJP) out of the state,” Yadav said. to form a new government with the on Thursday asserted that her party
ter-led BJP party and alleged that the “The Samajwadi Party believes support of the Bharatiya Janata Party would form the government at the
Modi government, which put opposi- that the candidate who can take on in the state. Centre along with like-minded re-
tion leaders in jail by misusing ED, the Bharatiya Janata Party will get “We had given a proposal to the gional partners after the Lok Sabha
CBI and IT, is now hatching another the ticket. We are not inclined to- Congress party of two seats in Malda, elections. “I can assure you all that
conspiracy wards any particular candidate. Ef- but they didn’t agree on that. Now, we will form the government in Del-
Taking to X, Jairam Ramesh hi. As to how or in what manner we
posted, “To make false allegations form the government at the Centre
against the opposition to hide his is something we will decide after the
crime is the way of ‘Ahankaracharya’! (Lok Sabha) elections through talks
The Modi government, which has put with like-minded regional parties,”
opposition leaders in jail by misusing the TMC Supremo said.
ED, CBI and IT, is now hatching an- The West Bengal CM had earlier
other conspiracy.” ruled out allying with the Congress,
Former Congress President Ra- saying her party was quite capable of
hul Gandhi also hit out at the center going it alone in the state and defeat-
alleging misuse of central agencies. ing the BJP-led NDA.
“ED, CBI, IT etc. are no longer gov- After Nitish Kumar going back
ernment agencies, now they have to NDA and Hemant Soren landing
become BJP’s ‘eliminate opposition in jail, the INDIA bloc has now to
cell’. The BJP itself, steeped in corrup- contend with threats from Mamata
tion, is running a campaign to destroy Banerjee. It is not a good sign for
democracy in its obsession with pow- West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders an alliance which is trying to take on
er” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X. and supporters in Kolkata on Friday (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi who
But, despite such signs of soli- is now looking stronger than ever.

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