Congress on Sunday said that doors are still open for an alliance with the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the upcoming general elections even as the TMC has announced to contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the State.

Speaking to media, Congress general secretary and in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said that his party is still hopeful and believes that when Banerjee says she is in the Opposition bloc INDIA alliance, and her priority is to defeat the BJP.

Ramesh added saying that the Congress took that as a statement of her priority and intent. Congress has not closed any doors, he said. Banerjee has unilaterally announced that she will contest all 42 seats in West Bengal, well that is her announcement, Ramesh asserted.

As far as Congress is concerned, talks are still continuing, the doors are still open and the final word will not be said till the final word is said, he further asserted.

Ramesh has stated that a joint opposition rally will be held in Patna, Bihar. This rally would be significant because it follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bihar on Saturday. Ramesh believes that the rally demonstrates opposition unity to defeat the BJP and its allies. Additionally, Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress president and Wayanad MP, has taken a break from his ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ to participate in the rally.

On the 50th day of the Yatra, there has been a slight change in the schedule because Rahul Gandhi has to go to Patna for the opposition rally and Congress president Malliarjun Kharge will also participate in it, said Ramesh.

Gandhi will have an interaction on the Agniveer issue. Following that, there will be a roadshow in Mohna. However, there won’t be any Yatra today after that. But tomorrow, on the 51st day, as planned and scheduled, they will start the yatra from Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Ramesh added.

Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of former foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is set to make her poll debut in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In its first list of candidates, BJP announced that Swaraj will contest from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat. Soon after her name was announced, Swaraj said she will try to live up to the legacy set by her mother, who she was sure sending her blessings from heaven.

She said this achievement does not belong to Bansuri Swaraj, but every karyakarta (worker) of Delhi BJP. Bansuri Swaraj is a distinguished lawyer and brings wealth of experience in legal procedures to the political arena. She had been appointed by the BJP as the co-convenor of BJP’s Delhi legal cell last year.

She has 15 years of experience as an advocate as she had enrolled in the Bar Council of Delhi in 2007. She completed her graduation in English Literature from the University of Warwick and pursued a law degree from the prestigious BPP law School in London. Her academic qualifications include qualifying as Barrister at Law and being called to the bar from the honorable Inn of Inner Temple, London.

After enhancing her legal credentials, she completed her Masters of Studies from St Catherine’s College at the University of Oxford. Throughout her professional career, Bansuri has carved a niche for herself in the legal domain, representing high profile clients in contentious litigation. Her expertise includes a large number of legal areas, including disputes involving contracts, real estate, tax, international commercial arbitrations, and criminal trials.

Last year Bansuri launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party over the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Ammendment Bill), 2023. During a press conference she categorized AAP government as jhagdalu (quarrelsome) and nikammi (useless). She congratulated Droupadi Murmu for passing the bill and expressed confidence that the administration in Delhi would operate in accordance with the law.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday targeted the Centre over Make in India and said the Modi government has failed to complete inaction in creating jobs and utilising funds. He asked many questions as to why the government has failed to create enough jobs and on the under utilisation of funds in key sectors to promote manufacturing in India.

The Congress leader took to X and posted the Modi government failed to realize Make in India! The loud drumbeating on their interventions in the manufacturing sector has been drowned by complete inaction. He further asked why the value added by manufacturing in India’s GDP decreased from 16% to 13% over the past ten years.

Kharge also asked why the average manufacturing growth had declined under the BJP government at the Centre. He said it was 7.85% during the Congress – UPA government which plunged to 6% only. He said the Modi government had promised 10 crore manufacturing jobs by 2022. Kharge asked where are the jobs? He asked why has the workforce in manufacturing declined in the last 10 years?

The Congress leader also pointed out a majority of the Production-Linked Incentives (PLI) Scheme has failed to take off? He asked why has there been a massive under-utilisation of funds for key sectors? He added 96% of funds for the PLI scheme in the textiles sector remained unused.

Kharge said no funds had been provided for the PLI scheme in the renewable sector and 95% of funds for the scheme in the white goods for manufacture of components and sub- assemblies of AC’s and LEDs remain unused. He failed to understand the percentage increase in India’s exports, which was 549% during Congress-UPA, declined to just 90% during the Modi government?He slammed Centre over rise in imports from China despite border transgressions.