New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut will hold a meeting today. The speculations regarding this meeting is that Shiva Sena might extend its support to the Congress party in the state elections early next year.
The meeting between Raut and Rahul is scheduled at Rahul Gandhi’s residency in Delhi.
In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena and Congress share power in the three-party-led coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi. The meeting comes days after the Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally, took strong exception to West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s criticism of the Congress.
During her Mumbai visit, Banerjee questioned the existence of the Congress-led UPA, saying there is no UPA now.
In a strong rebuttal to the TMC chief in its mouthpiece, Saamna, the Sena said that creating an opposition alliance without Congress at the national level is similar to strengthening the ruling BJP and the “fascist” forces.
The Marathi daily had also said those who don’t want a Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) should make their stand clear publicly, instead of talking behind the back and creating confusion.
The TMC leadership recently said it would continue to put together an alternative front as Congress “failed to lead the fight” against the BJP.
TMC mouthpiece ‘Jago Bangla’ had also claimed that Banerjee, and not Rahul Gandhi, has emerged as the face of the opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Raut on Sunday said that the TMC chief is considering a joint alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections excluding the Congress.
The Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally, had strongly defended the Congress from attacks by Mamata Banerjee, who had also met with Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray and NCP leader Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Milind Narvekar, Shiv Sena secretary and CM Uddhav Thackeray’s PA, on Monday sparked a controversy after he tweeted a photo of Shiv Sainiks who took part in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. “Tributes to the sacrifice made by Shiv Sainiks for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya,” said Narvekar in the tweet.
The Sena editorial also tackled election strategist Prashant Kishor’s attack on Rahul Gandhi in a tweet that said the Congress’s leadership was not the “divine right” of an individual.
“Who has the divine right to lead the UPA is secondary, first we need to provide an option to the people,” said the party, adding that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should come forward to strengthen the UPA.
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