Can the leadership of INDIA alliance move away from Congress and go to some other opposition party? This new political debate has arisen not from anywhere else but from within the Congress itself. Mani Shankar Iyer, who is in the headlines due to his controversial statements on many issues, has given this statement. He has advised that Rahul Gandhi should give up the reins of India Bloc and hand it over to some regional party.
‘Mamata Banerjee should become the leader of India alliance’
There is not much time left for the assembly elections in West Bengal, before which Mani Shankar Aiyar has given rise to a new political controversy. Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the leader of the India Alliance, without whom “the ‘I’, ‘N’, ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘A’ of the India Alliance will cease to exist,” it said in a statement on Sunday (February 22).
‘Give command of India Block to small parties’
Iyer further said, ‘I hope that instead of Rahul Gandhi continuing on this post, small parties, be it Stalin, Mamata Didi or Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav or anyone else, should be allowed to take charge of the India Bloc.’
Bengal Congress leaders targeted
Bengal Congress leaders have reacted sharply to this statement of Iyer. State General Secretary of Congress Suman Roy Choudhary said while talking to the media, first of all let us make it clear that Mani Shankar Aiyar has not been associated with the activities of the Congress Party for a long time. Further said that 5 Rajya Sabha seats are vacant in West Bengal, was this the reason for such comment of Mani Shankar Aiyar? We have doubts. Meanwhile, Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh refused to react to Iyer’s statement. Said, ‘I will not comment right now because we all are busy in Bengal elections.’
Stalin’s name has also been taken
Earlier, Iyer had described MK Stalin as the right man to strengthen the INDIA block. Iyer had said, Rahul Gandhi can become the PM of India, provided there is someone who spends all his time in strengthening the India block. Said, ‘What Stalin has done in the last year is to raise every single point related to federalism in India. Therefore, I believe that he is the right person to become the Chairman of INDIA Block and he has the great quality that he will not come in the way of Rahul Gandhi becoming the PM.
