West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc, signaling her intent to take charge of the alliance if given the opportunity on Friday.
Mamata said, “I had formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can’t run the show, what can I do? I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along.”
When asked why she is not taking the charge of the bloc, given her credentials as a strong anti-BJP force, Banerjee said, “If given the opportunity I would ensure its smooth functioning.”
“I don’t want to go outside Bengal, but I can run it from here,” she said. Her comments quickly fueled speculation about her ambition to lead the alliance, prompting a clarification from Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. “She never said anything like this,” Ghosh insisted.
Kunal Ghosh said, “She said she founded the INDIA alliance and that it was a necessary front against BJP. Her priority is West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee is not interested in a chair in Delhi. If the INDIA bloc demands her leadership, she will do so from Kolkata only.”
While Congress being the largest party of the INDIA bloc has often been perceived as the coalition’s de facto leader, the TMC has consistently advocated for Mamata Banerjee to take the reins of the alliance.
