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On the second day of her Delhi visit, Mamata Banerjee met with disgruntled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha who, in turn, appreciated her efforts to bring together all regional forces against the Narendra Modi government ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Later in the evening, she met with former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Following her meeting with Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee said that they "share a good relation" and that she told Sonia Gandhi that every party should fight where they are strong.
She also discussed how a one-on-one fight will help eliminate BJP politically.
The West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief, who has been meeting leaders of various Opposition parties and some allies of the ruling BJP in New Delhi, also held discussions with Arun Shourie, a former Union minister in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
After the meeting, Shourie, who has been critical of the Modi government, said Banerjee’s theory of putting up a one-on-one fight against the BJP in every state was the right path to take on Modi.
Though Yashwant Sinha did not clarify on whether he or Shatrughan Sinha would join a united force against the BJP, he said:
Banerjee was part of the Vajpayee government.
After the BJP leaders, Banerjee met with Sonia Gandhi.
“Yes, Sonia ji is unwell right now and recovering. I will meet her once she is fine,” she had said on Tuesday after her meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
The meeting with Sonia Gandhi is anticipated because Banerjee had earlier vouched for a ‘Congress-free’ federal front. According to sources, she doesn’t want to let go of her as a possible leader of a non-Congress Front – which might not be the case if the Congress joined the front.
Pawar, being the only leader who holds good relations with the two camps, has reportedly shown interest in keeping the Congress as a part of the front. The NCP believes that a non-Congress, non-BJP front will disperse Opposition unity.
After her meeting with Opposition leaders on Tuesday, Mamata emphasised on the importance of unity within the Opposition, further hinting that she might end up including Congress in the front.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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Published: 28 Mar 2018,07:29 PM IST