Sonia-Mamata meet likely

July 23, 2021 22:41

The Trinamool Congress and the Congress, the two bitter political rivals in West Bengal, seem to be coming closer, and ironically its the Pegasus snooping scandal that is doing the trick.

The two parties have their leaders names in the list of potential Pegasus targets -- Abhishek Banerjee from TMC and Rahul Gandhi from Congress.

The first sign of the two political adversaries coming together was the presence of veteran Congress leaders P. Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh, who were invited by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeeat to the virtual Martyrs Day event on July 21. Martyrs Day marks the firing on Congress protesters in 1993 Kolkata by the then ruling Left Front government.

Sources say Banerjee extended invitation to senior Congress leaders as she believes that no front would be able to take on the BJP juggernaut in 2024 general elections if its devoid of the Congress, notwithstanding the partys dismal poll record in recent state elections.

Another clear sign of TMC cosying up to Congress is the likely meeting of Banerjee with Sonia Gandhi during her Delhi visit next week. Banerjee has always had a good rapport with Sonia Gandhi even though she has been critical of Rahul Gandhi in the past.

Banerjee is determined to unseat PM Modis BJP in 2024, but is also aware that it may not be easy, and, therefore, shes trying to get the warring regional parties together to halt the BJP juggernaut in 2024. Sources close to the Bengal CM also said that for Banerjee, the bigger battle is the 2024 Lok Sabha election, for which she is ready to give up her anger and bitterness for the Congress for a while.

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