Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee meets Sonia Gandhi, vows nationwide ‘khela hobe’

KOLKATA: Sonia Gandhi shared her views on opposition unity, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday after her “chai pe charcha” with the Congress president and Rahul Gandhi, promising “khela hobe” nationwide to end “achchhe din” and bring in “sachcha din”.
“It was a very good meeting,” Banerjee said after the visit to 10 Janpath. Opposition leaders were likely to meet after Parliament’s monsoon session, she said, hoping for “a positive outcome”.

“I am not a political astrologer,” the Bengal CM said when asked whether she would lead a coalition of opposition parties. “It depends on the situation, structure. I have no problem if someone else leads (it). We can decide when the issue is discussed. I cannot impose (my will),” she added. “I have a sweet home in Bengal. I will stay there and do not plan to shift to Delhi now,” Banerjee said adding: “I am nothing alone, everyone has to unite. I am not a leader but a cadre... a person on the street.”
The challenges to forging “opposition unity”, however, were apparent immediately afterwards as Banerjee’s next meeting was with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (whose Aam Aadmi Party remains one of the Congress’s principal opponents in north India).

‘BJP a very healthy party, but oppn will be stronger’
But the Bengal CM was optimistic. “Poore desh me khela hoga. It is a continuous process. It will be Modi versus the country when general elections come,” she told reporters. “I want to see sachcha din, bahut achchhe din dekh liya,” she said, adding: “The BJP is a very healthy party. But the opposition will be stronger, it will create history, this is our hope for the general elections.”
Every political party would have to unite against the BJP, Banerjee said, adding that Bengal had shown the way. “I will urge opposition parties to unite and meet after the monsoon session,” she said.
“We discussed Pegasus, the Covid situation and opposition unity,” Banerjee said after her meeting with the Gandhis. “Why aren’t they responding to the Pegasus issue? They should answer the questions on Pegasus. People want to know about it. You cannot have these discussions at tea stalls. The government must discuss Pegasus in Parliament. The government has to respond in a democracy,” she said.
“If Abhishek’s (Trinamool MP and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee) phone is tapped and I am talking to him, then my phone is tapped too. Pegasus has put everyone’s life in danger. The situation is very serious, it is more serious than the Emergency,” Banerjee said, adding: “GDP now stands for gas-diesel-petrol. The government is collecting money from the public but it has no money for (Covid) vaccines.”