West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday arrived at 10 Janpath in New Delhi to meet Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. According to news agency ANI, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.
On Tuesday, Banerjee had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence. In the meeting, the West Bengal Chief Minister said she raised the issue of the need for more COVID-19 vaccines and medicines for her state. Banerjee also said she raised the pending issue of the change of name of West Bengal to Bangla. She also asked the PM to call an all-party meeting on the Pegasus spyware row. There should be a Supreme Court-monitored probe in this matter, she told the reporters after the meeting.
This was the first meeting between the Prime Minister and Banerjee after she had skipped a post Cyclone Yaas review meeting chaired by Modi in May this year. Banerjee had met the PM separately for a moment and handed over the state government's report on the cyclone before excusing herself from the official meeting, resulting in a huge controversy.
On Tuesday, she also met senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Anand Sharma in the national capital.
Nath, after meeting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, said he had come to congratulate Banerjee for her victory in the recent assembly elections.
"We have not discussed any strategy. That will be discussed by the leader of our party. We just discussed the current situation and the issue of rising prices," the Congress leader told reporters. Nath said Banerjee's victory in the assembly polls has sent a message across the country.
Later, Banerjee met Anand Sharma. During the meeting, Sharma is reported to have told her that there cannot be a non-BJP front without Congress as it is a national political party with a pan-India presence.
"Mamata Banerjee and I have close ties as we've worked together for years. I appreciate her for how she fought the recent polls and won. She's come to Delhi for 1st time after victory, so I came and had tea with her," Sharma told reporters.
The TMC supremo is also slated to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.
Reports said Banerjee's Delhi visit, is part of her efforts to cobble up a national front against the BJP. The TMC supremo is apparently seeking to take up a larger role in national politics prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
