The Congress's yo-yo on how it hopes to deal with opposition parties ahead of the 2024 elections swayed on the side of conciliation on Friday with a senior leader claiming that it wants to make up with regional heavyweights like Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar and K Chandrashekar Rao.
Just two days after the top leader Rahul Gandhi picked a new fight with the Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, Veerappa Moily, chairperson of the Congress's Political Affairs Committee which deals with alliances, told NDTV that the party wants a partnership with her.
"We will sort out issues and work with Mamata, Nitish Kumar and K Chandrashekar Rao. We need to lead the alliance, and we will work together and ensure all come together. Congress needs to be strengthened and only when we are strong, can we lead," he said.
The statement, which was made on the sidelines of the Congress's three-day mega brainstorming meet in Chhattisgarh's capital city Raipur, flew in the face of one from Rahul Gandhi at an election rally in Meghalaya on Wednesday.
"You know the history of the TMC (Trinamool Congress) -- the violence and scams that take place in West Bengal. You are aware of their tradition. They spent a huge amount of money in Goa (polls) and the idea was to help the BJP. That is exactly the idea in Meghalaya. The TMC's idea in Meghalaya is to ensure that the BJP is strengthened and come to power," Mr Gandhi claimed.
And that statement itself appeared entirely contradictory to one from just hours ago by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge who had foreshadowed Mr Moily's remark by claiming his outfit was in talks with "every" other party to challenge the BJP together in 2024.
"Rahul Gandhi is an asset. I have been in the Congress for 60 years. We know the strengths and weaknesses. We will work together," Mr Moily said, when asked about Mr Gandhi's stance.
AdvertisementMr Gandhi's comment had more than irked the Trinamool Congress, with Mamata Banerjee's nephew and party's second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee, posting a retort on social media.
"Congress has failed to resist the BJP. Their irrelevance, incompetence and insecurity have put them in a state of delirium. I urge Rahul Gandhi to revisit their politics of vanity instead of attacking us. Our growth isn't driven by money, it's people's love that propels us," Mr Banerjee tweeted.
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