RANCHI: Amid scathing attacks made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee against the Congress, former party President Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that she was “very much” part of the INDIA bloc. Rahul Gandhi’s statement came days after the TMC leader walked away from the alliance, announcing that her party would go “solo” in the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
Talking to the media during his fourth day of ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ at Basiya in Gumla, the Congress leader said that seat-sharing negotiations are underway among members of the alliance.
“Mamata-ji is very much part of the INDIA bloc like most of the other members who are part of it,” said Rahul Gandhi. Negotiations are going on among the members of the alliance over seat sharing, and "that is normal”, he added.
Mamata had recently said that her party won’t fight the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Congress in West Bengal. She accused the Congress of joining hands with the CPI(M) to assist the BJP in the elections.
Reacting to the statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Congress’ allegations that OBCs are being ignored by the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said that, “PM calls himself OBC, in between, he got confused and then started saying that there are only two castes in the country – rich and poor; first they should decide what they want to say. Caste census should be conducted in the country.” Modi pointing towards himself in the Lok Sabha had said, “Can’t the Congress see the biggest OBC?”
Referring to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar parting ways with INDIA alliance and joining the BJP-led NDA, Gandhi said, “You can guess what would have been the reasons for his leaving. We will fight in Bihar as part of the INDIA alliance.”