Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gained’t attend Karnataka chief minister-designate Siddaramaiah’s oath-taking ceremony in Bengaluru Saturday. She has determined to ship a celebration parliamentarian, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, as her consultant as a substitute, ThePrint has learnt.
The Congress has invited a bunch of Opposition leaders to the ceremony, looking for to make use of it as a platform to attempt to carry collectively anti-BJP events forward of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Banerjee’s determination to ship a consultant suggests a calibrated method, indicating her willingness to interrupt bread with the Congress as a part of bigger Opposition unity with out committing herself to a formation led by the Congress.
After Siddaramaiah spoke to her Thursday, an official invite from the Congress was despatched to the Trinamool chairperson the identical night on the state Secretariat. Whereas accepting the formal invitation, Banerjee stated she wouldn’t be capable of attend the occasion as a consequence of pre-scheduled work.
Confirming the event, Trinamool Congress chief within the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien took to Twitter and stated Dastidar will characterize the Trinamool on the ceremony at Kanteerava Stadium.
“The chief minister-designate of Karnataka Siddaramaiah and his different colleagues known as to personally invite All India Trinamool Congress Chairperson & Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the swearing-in tomorrow. She conveyed her finest needs and designated Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Trinamool’s Deputy Chief in Lok Sabha, to attend the ceremony,” Derek O’Brien tweeted.
In the meantime, the Congress termed the CM’s absence from the occasion as “politics of ambiguity”.
Talking to ThePrint, Congress MP and Lok Sabha chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stated, “It’s her private determination, and he or she believes in politics of ambiguity. It’s a matter of courtesy to attend the oath-taking ceremony. Now we have invited all of the chief ministers who spoke out towards the BJP, however Mamata has determined to remain away.”
However, in accordance with political analyst Udayan Bandyopadhyay, it isn’t crucial for the chief minister to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
“It isn’t crucial for the chief minister to attend the swearing-in ceremony in an effort to present solidarity. She is sending one skilled occasion MP. I believe that’s a prudent determination,” he advised ThePrint.
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Name for Opposition unity
The Congress has invited a bunch of opposition leaders, together with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Ok. Stalin, Samajwadi Celebration chief Akhilesh Yadav, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Nationalist Congress Celebration chief Sharad Pawar, Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Uddhav Thackeray, Farooq Abdullah, amongst others.
After the Karnataka outcomes triggered a debate about the potential of a bigger Opposition alliance, Mamata Banerjee had stated that she was keen to help the Congress, however the latter shouldn’t struggle towards her in West Bengal.
Nevertheless, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury dismissed the provide instantly claiming that Congress will proceed to struggle towards the BJP and TMC in West Bengal.
In the meantime, Mamata Banerjee can be in New Delhi subsequent week to attend the pre-scheduled NITI Aayog assembly and can also be prone to maintain talks with Opposition leaders on the sideline.
Final month, she prompt that each one Opposition leaders meet in Patna to chart out a technique for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In the meantime, a senior TMC supply advised ThePrint, it wasn’t attainable for the CM to journey on a 24-hour discover as she has a Z+ safety cowl.
The chief, who didn’t want to be named, additionally added that Mamata Banerjee could be addressing a public rally Saturday when her nephew TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee can be quizzed by the CBI within the alleged lecturers’ recruitment rip-off. Mamata’s speech, the occasion insiders say, may have key messages towards the central authorities.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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