RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday said Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee should be given the leadership of opposition INDIA bloc.
“Congress’s objection means nothing. We will support Mamata… Mamata Banerjee should be given the leadership (of the INDIA bloc),” Yadav told news agency ANI.
Lalu’s support for the West Bengal Chief Minister comes two days after the Trinamool Congress raised the pitch on the demand to make her the leader of the INDIA bloc. Party MP Kirti Azad said she is the ‘most suitable’ for the job as she is the only leader who has repeatedly defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in her state – West Bengal .
Last week, Banerjee expressed interest in running the INDIA bloc — with many key leaders in the Opposition bloc backing her as a ‘capable’ leader. “I had formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can’t run the show, what can I do? I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along…If given the opportunity I would ensure its smooth functioning. I don’t want to go outside West Bengal, but I can run it from here,” the West Bengal Chief Minister told News 18 Bangla on Friday, December 6.
Questions have been raised about the future of the Opposition group in recent weeks following a string of debilitating electoral losses.
(This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates)
