The Bengaluru meeting will see the attendance of 26 political parties. It is the second after a 17-party dialogue held in Patna, Bihar.
Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee at the Opposition Meet. (Wikimedia)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi shared a few moments, enquiring about each other’s health and strategising on Opposition unity on the first day of the 26-party meeting in Bengaluru.
The two leaders met each other after a gap of some two years. The last time Banerjee met Gandhi was at the latter’s residence in July 2021.
While the two leaders have always had a cordial relationship, certain comments made by Congress leaders — both in Delhi and West Bengal — were believed to have led to some bad blood between them.
Banerjee, according to suorces quoted by PTI, said was particularly upset about the remarks made by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress’s Lok Sabha MP from Behrampore in West Bengal, labelling her as a dictator and the workers of her Trinamool Congress (TMC) as goons.
The sources said both Banerjee and Gandhi arrived at the venue of the summit at around 6 pm and were seen chatting with each other for about half an hour before the meeting started.
They said both enquired about each other’s health— Banerjee is recovering from a knee surgery, and Gandhi too has had health issues.
The sources said the two leaders sat next to each other during the Opposition meeting that lasted for around an hour and a half and discussed ways in which their parties can work together and stay united against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Union government headed by the BJP.
Banerjee, who was supposed to skip dinner after the meeting due to her surgery, stayed on for some time after the deliberations but did not eat anything, the sources said.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and national spokesperson Derek O’Brien attended the dinner after Banerjee left.
The Congress and the TMC will play a major role in the coming days to cement the Opposition unity.
The Congress has succeeded in rallying 26 political parties, including the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
AICC former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, TMC chief, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and other leaders will be attending the Opposition meet.
Setting the tone for the meeting, AICC general secretary (organisation) and Rajya Sabha member KC Venugopal said, “We (opposition) are here not only for attaining power but also to address the genuine concerns of the biggest democratic country of the world.”
The Bengaluru meeting is the second after a 17-party dialogue held in Patna in Bihar on 23 June. Gandhi had not attended the last opposition meeting.
AICC general secretary and in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh told reporters that the deliberations will begin at 11 am on Tuesday, 18 July.
(With PTI inputs)
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