Mamata eyes top position in I.N.D.I.A. bloc, sidelining Congress and Kharge

New Delhi: Last year in December, Mamata Banerjee surprised Opposition leaders by strongly arguing for Mallikarjun Kharge be named as the lead I.N.D.I.A face and 12 months down the line, Trinamool Congress chief is now projecting herself as the strongest claimant for the top post.

Not one to hide leadership ambitions, Mamata appears to be setting the stage for a confrontation with the Congress at a time the latter is on a backfoot after badly faring in two Assembly elections within six months of an impressive performance in Lok Sabha elections.

She made her intentions clear through an interview to a Bengali news channel after her party sent ample signals to Congress in Delhi by refusing to attend meeting of I.N.D.I.A. floor leaders in Parliament and publicly distancing itself from Rahul Gandhi-led protests on Adani issue.

“I had formed the I.N.D.I.A. 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,” she said.

To a question on why she is not taking charge, “if given the opportunity I would ensure its smooth functioning… I don't want to go outside West Bengal, but I can run it from here.” No Opposition leader would comment on record on her comments.

Her comments were preceded by Trinamool’s second rung leaders like Kalyan Banerjee, Kirti Azad and Kunal Ghosh, who raised their decibel levels on Congress’ failure in the Assembly elections and how Mamata, who they described as the strongest anti-BJP leader, could do a better job.

The way her remarks on December 19, 2023 surprised I.N.D.I.A. leaders, the latest one too has taken them by surprise. Last year, a section argued that it was aimed at JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar and Rahul Gandhi too, this time the only aim is Congress.

While Congress' Udit Raj was critical of Mamata asking how she could lead a national alliance when her party could not expand beyond West Bengal, other alliance leaders like NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut took a middle path saying the Trinamool chief is an integral part of the bloc.

Sule said they would be happy if she wants to take more responsibility while Raut said they would soon talk to her in Kolkata as his party wants her to be a major partner in the bloc. Senior Congress leaders Tariq Anwar and TS Singhdeo said decisions in the bloc are taken collectively.

The stand of Trinamool in Parliament weakened I.N.D.I.A.’s floor strategy in Parliament, which came in handy for the ruling BJP that had found itself troubled during the Monsoon Session when the Opposition parties worked in tandem.

Trinamool argues that it does not need to toe Congress line, as it is not an electoral ally of the Kharge-led party like other I.N.D.I.A. partners.

The latest bypoll results, winning all the six seats in West Bengal against the BJP, also strengthens the Trinamool as it projects itself as the strongest anti-BJP party. With less than 18 months for Assembly elections, Mamata also is placing herself and her party on a pedestal.

While many see Trinamool’s stand as one aimed at cornering the Congress, a few also see it as her attempt to divert attention from the succession struggle in the party with a section arguing for a much bigger role for her nephew Abhishek Banerjee in West Bengal administration.

Incidentally, Mamata while staking claim for a leadership role in the national alliance, she is very careful to insist that she could lead I.N.D.I.A. from West Bengal and not Delhi, which would mean that she is not leaving Kolkata, much to the relief of the old guard in the party.