Lalu Prasad backs Mamata Banerjee to lead INDIA bloc, says Congress’s objection means nothing
Earlier this month, Mamata Banerjee had expressed her willingness to lead the anti-BJP coalition if given the opportunity.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc on Wednesday met at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge here amid ongoing efforts for the formation of the new government.
The meeting convened by Kharge was attended by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin, Jharkhand CM and JMM leader Champai Soren and party leader Kalpana Soren, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, NCP-SP president Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, J&K NC leader Omar Abdullah, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja, among others.
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In his opening remarks in the meeting, the Congress chief reiterated that the mandate was against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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“The mandate is decisively against Mr Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics. It is a huge political loss for him personally apart from being a clear moral defeat as well. However, he is determined to subvert the will of the people,” he said.
In an apparent indication that Opposition’s door was open for the parties who want to join hands with it, the Congress chief said, “The INDIA alliance welcomes all parties which shares its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social and political justice.”
Notably on Tuesday, he categorically said, “Our fight has not yet reached its end. In the coming days, we all will have to protect the rights of the people, the Constitution and democracy,”
Referring to the INDIA bloc performance in the Lok Sabha elections, Kharge said, “We fought well, fought unitedly, fought resolutely.”
In the 2024 general elections, the INDIA bloc won 233 out of 543 parliamentary seats.
The Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases between 19th April and 1st June.
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