Didi meets Sonia, asks Cong to be a part of Oppn front

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday stressed the need for the Congress to join a united opposition front against the BJP at a meeting with United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Banerjee said the two leaders discussed the current political scenario and strategies to oust the BJP in assembly and Lok Sabha elections at the 20-minute meeting at Gandhi’s residence.

“I told Sonia ji that we want the Congress to be a part of the united opposition,” she told reporters later.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader said she stressed that the opposition had to come together to fight the BJP in the states. “I told her what the country wants is that there should be a state-wise, one-on-one fight with the BJP. The party that is the strongest in the state should contest against the BJP there,” she said.

“We want the Congress to win Karnataka because the Congress is strong there,” she added.

Banerjee said she also discussed with Gandhi the talks that she has been holding with the leaders of regional parties.

“We are trying to work together...we want the Congress also to be part of that,” she said.

The West Bengal chief minister said the Congress should also help the “one-on-one fight” in the states and added that parties which had an alliance with the Congress would carry on with the tie-ups. “Lalu (Yadav) ji and Sharad (Yadav) ji have an alliance with the Congress. Their alliance will continue,” she said.

‘DISGRUNTLED’ BJP LEADERS MEET DIDI

Disgruntled BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha and former Union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Arun Shourie and appreciated her efforts to bring together all regional forces against the Modi government

“Mamata is our old cabinet colleague. Her personality is known to everyone. The role she has taken to save the country is appreciable. In future also, we will support her,” Yashwant Sinha said.

After the meeting, Shourie, who has been critical of the Modi government, said the Tranamool Congress chief’s theory of putting up a one-on-one fight against the BJP in every state was the right path to take on the Prime Minister.

“If the one-on-one formula is implemented, the opposition will be able to corner 69% of votes,” Shourie said.