Lalu Yadav Backs Mamata Banerjee To Head INDIA Bloc, Rejects Congress Worries

RJD leader Lalu Prasad said on Tuesday that he strongly supports West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He believes she should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc, which is the opposition alliance created to challenge the BJP in the next national elections.

Only days ago, Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress leader, claimed that she would like to lead the alliance. Banerjee cited concerns over how the INDIA bloc was working while clearly asserting readiness to take charge if an opportunity comes.

"Lalu Prasad said that Mamata Banerjee should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc." When asked about the Congress' concerns about Banerjee leading the opposition, Lalu dismissed them, saying, "The Congress' objections will not matter. She should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc."

Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu’s son and a senior leader of the RJD, said before that he had no problem with any senior leader from the INDIA bloc, like Mamata Banerjee, leading. But, he stressed that this decision should be agreed upon by everyone in the coalition.

She aired her dissatisfaction with the functioning of the INDIA bloc while speaking to the media on December 6. Here she demonstrated that she wants to play a larger role in taking charge of the alliance. "I had formed the INDIA bloc, and now it is up to those leading it to manage the coalition. If they can't run the show, what can I do?

"I think everyone needs to be included,  she said in a talk with the Bengali news channel News18 Bangla.". The Chief Minister of West Bengal was confident that she could manage both jobs —leading the opposition and being the Chief Minister.

Banerjee's confidence proves that she wants a larger role in planning how the opposition will go ahead for the 2024 general elections. Lalu Prasad spoke on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's upcoming 'Mahila Samvad Yatra,' which will begin from December 15.

The yatra is supposed to look at the seven-resolves program by the state government and connect with women in Bihar. When asked about the Yatra, Lalu Prasad joked, "He is holding the statewide yatra just to refresh his eyes."

Lalu also claimed that the RJD-led coalition will be able to form the government in Bihar in 2025. "The RJD-led coalition will form the government in the state in 2025," he asserted, showing his party's strength in Bihar politics.