Eyeing bigger role, Mamata’s 5-day Delhi visit from today

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 25

Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee will begin her five-day visit to Delhi from Monday, announcing her arrival on the national stage.

The politically significant visit is expected to see the West Bengal Chief Minister meet top opposition leaders in the capital in an attempt to forge broader unity of the non-NDA forces against the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections.

The reasons behind Mamata being named leader of the TMC parliamentary party this week are not far to seek. The announcement cements her role as a national opposition leader with potential for non-BJP forces to rally behind the TMC in the wake of the party’s decisive victory against the saffron family in West Bengal elections this May.

Apart from her official meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and likely with President Ram Nath Kovind, Mamata is also expected to engage opposition stalwarts Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar with a proposal to work together against BJP policies in “national interest”.

Sources say the background for Mamata’s Delhi visit has been prepared in advance and the objective is to create an understanding between non-NDA forces on common issues of concern, including Pegasus snooping row, farm legislations, inflation and economic crisis. A precursor to that was seen earlier this week when several opposition stalwarts, including Pawar and Congress’ P Chidambaram, attended a TMC convention she virtually addressed in Delhi.

Mamata’s former election adviser Prashant Kishor earlier met Sharad Pawar to strike a basic understanding on the emergence of an alternative opposition pole under Mamata Banerjee, with Pawar in a larger role.

There is, however, an understanding within the TMC and the NCP that no purposeful opposition unity can be achieved without a meaningful truck with the Congress, which, despite all its electoral setbacks, remains the principal opposition party with the highest number of Lok Sabha MPs and a presence in every state.

The first point of contention going forward would be the issue of UPA presidency, which has been debated for a while with a section of the opposition, especially the Shiv Sena, openly batting for Pawar as chairperson.

“It remains to be seen how Sonia Gandhi responds to any proposition of opposition solidarity where her son Rahul Gandhi does not command a dominant position. The stance Congress president takes would be key to determining the design of any future anti-BJP group notwithstanding what Mamata and Pawar combine have in mind about the possible reconfiguration of non-NDA forces. What is, however, clear is — Mamata is arriving on the national stage, and soon,” said a senior opposition leader.

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