Turf war in Opposition camp as Trinamool Congress, Congress trade barbs

While TMC claims there is no UPA left, Congress maintains there cannot be a front without it

It is now an open turf war in the opposition camp, with TMC leader Mamata Banerjee claiming that the UPA, in which she was the cabinet minister of Railways under Manmohan Singh, is now non-existent. With this, Congress will have a tough time retaining the leadership of the Opposition.

However, Congress insists that no front can come up without it. "It is a dream if someone thinks it can fight the BJP alone," Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said.

Although the TMC has charted its own course and maintained a distance from the opposition meetings, the surprise entry is the TRS, which has often been seen with the government and was a fence-sitter.

TRS leader K Keshav Rao has now joined the meetings called by the leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, of the Congress. The change of heart is due to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asserting itself in the state, becoming its main rival in Telangana.

Also Read — After desertion by 12 Meghalaya MLAs, Congress, Trinamool in a war of words

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met NCP leader Sharad Pawar and said that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is currently non-existent and all the like-minded opposition parties must unitedly fight the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Banerjee discussed the strategy for all opposition parties to take on the BJP unitedly in the next elections.

Pawar, who met Banerjee along with his senior party leaders, said that they held a long discussion on various political issues. "We agreed upon the need to strengthen the collective efforts and commitment towards safeguarding democratic values and ensuring the betterment of the people," he said.

The meeting was the prime political highlight of Banerjee's two-day Mumbai trip when Shiv Sena leaders, MP Sanjay Raut and Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray called on her.

However, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray could not meet her as he is currently convalescing after a spine surgery last month.

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