Amid the raging turmoil within his party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday met Congress scion Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, a day after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence in the national capital.
What happened at Rahul-Abhishek meeting?
While the details about the meeting have not been made public, sources said the meeting between Rahul Gandhi and Abhishek Banerjee is being viewed as as part of the ongoing engagement between the Congress and the following discussions at the INDIA bloc meeting held in Delhi earlier this week.
At Monday’s conclave, INDIA bloc leaders had emphasised the need for greater coordination and unity among alliance partners in taking on the BJP, and the meeting between the Banerjees and the Gandhis is being viewed as part of that effort, they said.
Notably, Abhishek Banerjee ‘s meeting with Rahul Gandhi comes after the CID conducted an investigation at his office as well as the TMC’s central office as part of the agency’s probe into an alleged forged signature case against the TMC leader.
The Kolkata High Court will hear a petition filed by Abhishek Banerjee on this matter on Thursday.
Will TMC merge with Congress?
Meanwhile, speculations and rumors are circulating in political circles suggesting a merger between Congress and the TMC. Reports suggest that both Rahul and Sonia Gandhi have offered Mamata and Abhishek to merge the TMC with the Congress, though details of how the rumored merger will take place were not immediately available.
The developments come at a time when the Trinamool Congress is faced with a massive rebellion within its ranks following its defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.
TMC MLAs in West Bengal have already split, while a rebel faction of at least 20 of its Lok Sabha MPs have written to Speaker Om Birla, expressing their intent to join the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Sushmita Dev quits TMC, resigns as Rajya Sabha MP
On Wednesday, the TMC faced another major blow to its ranks, when its Rajya Sabha MP, Sushmita Dev, considered a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, quit the party and resigned as a member of the Upper House.
Sources said Dev, who earlier quit the Congress 2021 to join the TMC, is likely to join the BJP as she met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after tendering her resignation.
Notably, ties between the Congress and the TMC have showed signs of improvement since revolt in the latter’s ranks.
During the INDIA bloc meet, Mamata Banerjee seemingly came to the Congress’ defence when allies questioned its role. Banerjee had urged constituents of the alliance to set aside differences and work together on issues concerning the public.
