Is TMC trying to gauge whether Mamata will be accepted as Oppn alliance leader?

Even as Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo denied having any Prime Ministerial ambition, the effort by several leaders of her party in projecting her as a national leader capable of taking on Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha election seems to be an attempt to gauge whether other opposition parties will accept her as the leader of the proposed anti-BJP alliance.

Ever since her visit to Delhi where she held meetings with opposition party leaders, Mamata has been dodging questions about whether she will be the face of the proposed alliance against the BJP. Instead, she described herself as a “cadre, not a leader.”

However, senior TMC leaders such as Transport Minister Firhad Hakim and Manas Ranjan Bhunia have tweeted slogans such as "Ab Ki Baar Didi Sarkar" and "Sachhe din."

TMC sources said that the slogans are deliberately made to counter BJP’s "Achhe din" and "Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar" to remind the people of the "unfulfilled promises" made by the Prime Minister. The repeated reference to the "Bengal Model" is intended as a counter to the "Gujarat Model" touted by the BJP as a testimony of Modi’s success as former Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Also read: Mamata has excellent vision for TMC's future; hope to be helpful: Sushmita Dev

They further revealed that seeing how she trumped the Modi-Shah duo in the West Bengal Assembly elections, the TMC is confident that she can lead the opposition alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"Mamata Banerjee is the only alternative to Narendra Modi. She is a seven-time MP, four-time Union Minister and a three-time Chief Minister,” said TMC State general secretary Kunal Ghosh.

It remains to be seen whether the Congress will accept Mamata as the face of the proposed opposition alliance. Even though Mamata has cordial relations with Sonia Gandhi, the TMC seems to be not too keen on the prospect of Rahul Gandhi leading the alliance.

"Mamata seems to be more comfortable with Sonia Gandhi than with Rahul Gandhi. Even though she met Sonia during her visit to Delhi, TMC not only skipped a protest demonstration called by Congress at the behest of Rahul but also sent a clear message to Congress that it has to treat them with respect," political observer and author Snigdhendu Bhattacharya told DH.