NEW DELHI: Taking forward her efforts for the formation of a federal front, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Mamata met Sonia at her 10 Janpath residence and discussed formation of a anti-BJP front. During the day, she also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and disgruntled BJP leaders Shatrughan Sinha, Arun Shourie, and Yashwant Sinha.
“I meet her whenever I come here and I enquired about her health. We also had political discussion and told her that we want Congress to support the regional parties’ front. This will facilitate one-on-one fight against BJP and we will eliminate it. The idea is that the strongest regional party in the state should take on the BJP,” Mamata told reporters after her meeting with the UPA Chairperson.
The All Indian Trinamool Congress chief held discussions with several party leaders and MPs from the Opposition parties to stitch an alliance against the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. She has been actively pursuing formation of a federal front by reaching out to regional parties and is regularly keeping in touch with the top leadership.
Her meeting with her Delhi counterpart was also around regional parties playing bigger role to take on BJP.
Praising efforts by Banerjee, Shourie said he was certain that there is a chance for federal front to take on the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “The Opposition parties together now have 69 per cent vote share and Mr Modi even at the height of his popularity got 31 per cent,” Shourie said after the meeting.
The former Union minister attacked the NDA government and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost the grip of the government. “The government is paralysed. Banks are paralyese, private investment is not coming up at all, power sector, telecom sector, construction-- they are all just paralysed. Mr Modi is not able to attend to any of these as he is busy attending ribbon cutting ceremonies.”