The one thing Mahua Moitra has done after her expulsion from Parliament is become the glue for the INDIA front meeting scheduled to take place after the ongoing winter session ends. The picture of Sonia Gandhi walking down and standing right behind Mahua as she spoke strongly against the BJP is a powerful adhesive to ensure the otherwise scattered bloc is together.
Just recently, the alliance seemed to be under strain, with the Congress faring poorly in state polls. The Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Janata Dal (United) raised questions about the Congress’s ability to take on the BJP. So much so, that a planned INDIA front meeting this week was almost a no-show with senior leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar excusing themselves.
But the Mahua Moitra episode has changed the mood and set the tone for another amicable INDIA bloc meeting. The issues raised by the TMC leader, where she accused the Narendra Modi government of favouring one business house, have also been voiced by Rahul Gandhi. The Congress could not distance itself from her for long. At the same time, it was wary of upsetting the TMC, which till recently had largely maintained silence on her matter.
But Sonia Gandhi herself showing solidarity has pleased the TMC and Mamata Banerjee. The Congress had issued a whip to its MPs to be present in the Lok Sabha to support Mahua. Not just this, known Mamata baiter Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took the lead in standing by Mahua and writing to the speaker, asking for more time to discuss the ethics committee report.
The bonhomie was seen in Hyderabad too, when apart from the Congress chief ministers, Derek O’Brien was present as a representative of Mamata Banerjee. He was seated along with the top Congress leaders and, in fact, flew with them there.
This sets the mood for better coordination and, hopefully for the opposition, amicable and fruitful seat-sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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