By stalling parliament, BJP trying to make Rahul hero to serve own interests: Mamata
Baharampur (WB) (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to make a hero out of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to divert attention from the burning issues by stalling the parliament proceedings over his recent remarks in the UK.
A senior TMC leader said Banerjee, while addressing party workers over the phone during an internal party meeting in Murshidabad district on Sunday, alleged that the Congress has failed to fight the BJP and has a tacit understanding with the saffron camp in West Bengal.
"Our party supremo, while addressing our internal meeting over the phone, said the BJP is deliberately trying to make a hero out of Rahul Gandhi by stalling the Parliament proceedings over his remarks. The BJP is doing this to serve its own interests so that other opposition parties can't raise issues concerning the people. They want to make Rahul Gandhi a hero of the opposition camp," TMC Murshidabad district chairman and MP Abu Taher told PTI.
The internal meeting of Murshidabad district was held at the Baharampur party office on Sunday evening.
Banerjee's comment comes amid the logjam in Parliament over Gandhi's remarks during his recent trip to the UK, with both houses failing to transact any significant business on the first five days of the budget session's second half.
The TMC supremo's verbal attack on Rahul Gandhi also comes just two days after it announced that it would stay away from both the Congress and BJP and indicated possible talks with other regional players ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
The TMC also said that the Congress is not the "big boss" of the opposition.
According to Taher, while referring to Sagardighi by-poll results where the Congress had snatched the seat from the TMC, Banerjee said an "unholy nexus of Congress-CPI(M)-BJP" is at play in the state.
"Mamata didi said we have to defeat this nexus in the next Panchayat and Lok Sabha polls. She had asked us to put up a united fight in the days to come," he said.
Taher said Banerjee, without naming Congress state president Adhir Chowdhury, blamed him for having a "tacit understanding with the BJP".
Miffed over the bypoll results, Banerjee had announced that she wouldn't align with Congress in the future.
Reacting to Banerjee's remark at the party meeting, Chowdhury claimed it is the TMC which wants to help the BJP.
"You (TMC) are fighting the BJP and maintaining equidistance from the Congress. This only reflects the true nature of the parties like the TMC, who are nothing but Trojan horses in the opposition camp. The TMC has joined hands with the BJP to protect themselves from the clutches of CBI and ED in graft cases," he said.
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Cong says Modi 'has lost authority to continue as PM', cites Ram Madhav's remarks on oil, tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday said Narendra Modi has lost his authority to continue as the prime minister, claiming that a senior RSS leader has made a "clear admission" that Modi is "dancing to Washington's tunes".
Congress general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal shared a video of RSS leader Ram Madhav on X where the latter says that India agreed to stop buying oil from Iran and Russia and also agreed to higher tariffs imposed by the US.
Madhav, however, later apologised saying what he said was "wrong as India did not agree to stop import of oil from Russia. "What I said was wrong. India didn't agree to stopping import of oil from Russia anytime."
"Also it vigorously protested 50 per cent tariff imposition. I was trying to make a limited counterpoint to the other panellist. But factually incorrect. My apologies," Madhav said in a post on X while sharing his video.
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Madhav along with RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale are on a visit to the United States and attended an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington.
In a post on X, Venugopal said, "Clear admission by a senior RSS leader - PM Modi is dancing to Washington's tunes.
"There was once a time when the US' 7th Fleet was in the Bay of Bengal, and India didn't budge. And then there is today, where a Compromised PM has handed over India's sovereignty to the US," Venugopal said in a post on X.
The Congress leader said this is exactly what Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the entire Opposition has been saying. "India has lost its independent voice on the world stage.
"After this surrender, it's clear that Narendra Modi has lost his authority to continue as Prime Minister," Venugopal said in his post.
In the video shared by Venugopal along with his post, Ram Madhav is heard saying, "India agreed to stop buying oil from Iran. We agreed to stop buying oil from Russia, facing so much criticism from our Indian opposition."
"We agreed to a 50 per cent tariff...Agreed means, we did not say anything. We maintained our patience. 50 per cent tariffs we agreed. Today, in the new trade deal also we agreed for 18 per cent tariffs higher than what it used to be.... I mean, average tariff.
"So, where is India lagging behind in that. What are those issues where India is not doing enough?" Madhav is heard saying in the video during an interactive session at the Hudson Institute.
