Congress leader and former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has suggested that the old party should be prepared to shun the leadership of the opposition bloc INDIA.
“I don't think this is a relevant question. I think Congress should be prepared not to be the leader of the bloc. Let whoever wants to be the leader, be the leader. There is competence in Mamata Banerjee… There is competence in others in the alliance,” Aiyar said when asked if another party could lead the INDIA bloc. Aiyar spoke to The Indian Express in an interview.
Aiyar's comment comes at a time when there are reports of non-Congress leaders like Mamata Banerjee taking the leading role in the opposition bloc.
“So it doesn't matter to me who becomes the leader, because I think the position of the Congress party and the Congress leader will always be an important one. It doesn't have to be the only one. It will be the most important. I am sure that Rahul (Gandhi) will be treated with even more respect than he would be as president of the alliance,” said Aiyar, who recently released the second part of his autobiography 'A Maverick in Politics'. '.
Questions about congressional leadership
Questions have been raised in recent weeks about the future of the opposition group after a series of debilitating election losses.
However, the Congress, which doubled its Lok Sabha election score in the 2024 general elections, faced setbacks in the recently held assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. Soon after the Maharashtra results, Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a veiled swipe at the Grand Old Party.
Banerjee showed interest in leading the INDIA bloc, with many key leaders in the opposition bloc supporting her as a 'capable' leader.
Many leaders of the grouping seemed to agree to hand over the leadership role to the West Bengal CM. However, some indicated that a decision would be made later.
I think Congress should be prepared not to be the leader of the bloc.
On December 10, RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav extended his support to Banerjee to take a leadership role in the opposition bloc INDIA.
“Congress' objection means nothing. We will support Mamata… Mamata Banerjee should be given the leadership (of the INDIA bloc),” Yadav said.