Congress rules out ‘merger’ talks with Mamata

KC Venugopal said that discussions during a recent meeting with Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee were about national issues, and the issue of ‘merger’ did not figure.

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, AICC Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Kumari Selja and MP Jairam Ramesh during AICC meetings of General Secretaries, In-charges and Pradesh Congress Committee Presidents from various states, in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday dismissed reports of a merger with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and termed it ‘baseless rumours’.

Addressing a press conference, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that discussions during a recent meeting with former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee were about national issues, and the issue of ‘merger’ did not figure. “Abhishek and Mamata ji met Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. That is part of INDIA bloc meeting.”

“This is a total rumour. We have made it clear. The news of a merger is completely wrong and baseless,” said Venugopal after a meeting with general secretaries, in-charges and state unit chiefs.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi, and others attended the meeting.