Mamata Banerjee to meet Sonia, Pawar, other opposition leaders on Wednesday
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Credit: PTI photo.
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a four-day tour to Delhi is set to meet several important leaders on Wednesday.
Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar are some leaders in the list.
Mamata Banerjee, who is clearly in a bid to unite the Opposition against the BJP, will meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at 4.30 p.m. at the latter's residence.
"She will also meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and NCP leader Sharad Pawar on Wednesday," the sources said.
However, when asked if she will lead such a consortium of Opposition parties, Banerjee said, "India will lead and we shall follow."
The Chief Minister, who is hopeful that the regional parties will play an important role in developing the political front against the BJP, said, "The Lok Sabha elections are less than three years away and we should not waste time. We should join hands and fight the BJP together. The preparations should begin right away".
The Chief Minister, however, is not very sure about her meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind.
"President Kovind gave me time but there are some rules. I need to have two doses of vaccine and an RT-PCR negative report. I have completed two doses of vaccination, but from where do I get my test done? I am an outsider in Delhi. So if I can't meet him this time, I shall try the next time," she said.
Meanwhile, the Bengal CM met several senior Congress leaders on Tuesday, including Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, in an apparent attempt to prepare the ground for meet the Congress top boss.
"If Opposition unity is to be a reality, the Congress will be a very important factor and Mamata Banerjee will definitely try to take the Congress on board. Her meeting with Sonia Gandhi is very significant because it can shape the future political scenario in the country," a senior Trinamool Congress leader said.