Time For Rahul Gandhi's Congress To Step Aside? Voices For Mamata To Lead INDIA Bloc Grow Louder

Nitish Kumar was one of the prominent leaders who laid the foundation of the INDIA bloc. However, when he did not get the desired respect from the opposition bloc, he switched over to the BJP. Since then, Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the leading face of the opposition bloc. However, after back-to-back poll setbacks in Haryana and Maharashtra, the call is growing louder within the INDIA bloc to have a new leader. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is at present the chairman of the Opposition grouping, formed before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday joined the opposition leaders who have endorsed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the head of the INDIA bloc, after she indicated her willingness to lead the opposition alliance. Asked if Banerjee should lead the INDIA bloc, Lalu Prasad said on Tuesday, "Yes, she should lead". He also attacked the Congress, saying, "The Congress' reservations amount to nothing. Mamata should be given the leadership role". In today's DNA, Zee News analysed the rift within the INDIA bloc and analysed Lalu Yadav's support for West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. 

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The YSR Congress Party, which is currently not a part of the INDIA bloc, reiterated its support for Banerjee, calling her the "most capable leader to lead the bloc". Days after Banerjee said she could lead the grouping if given an opportunity and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar backed her, more voices are emerging in her support.

YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy said Banerjee could better handle INDIA bloc parties. "Didi Mamata ji is capable and has the experience, leading one of the largest states, handling different portfolios and holding different positions from time to time....Didi will be in a position to handle INDIA bloc parties more effectively and to lead it to power," Reddy told reporters outside parliament on Tuesday, a day after announcing support to Banerjee on X.

Pawar had also called Banerjee "a capable leader" and asserted that he had the right to say it. "The MPs she has sent to Parliament are hardworking and aware", he said. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has also indicated that his party was open to discussing if someone outside the Congress should lead the INDIA bloc. Talking to reporters in Delhi, Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, said his party's ties with the Congress leadership including Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were "excellent". Banerjee had said last week she could manage the dual responsibility of running the opposition front while continuing her role as the chief minister of West Bengal. (With agency inputs)