Sena UBT open to change in INDIA bloc leadership: Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday suggested that his party was open to discussing if someone outside the Congress should lead the opposition’s INDIA bloc. Raut said that while he wasn’t questioning Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, if other INDIA bloc allies have something new to suggest to strengthen the alliance, then it must be discussed. Raut, in fact, said the Congress should also join the discussion and put across its views. RJD chief Lalu Prasad recently asserted that West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc. His comment comes days after Banerjee expressed her intent to take charge of the anti-BJP coalition.

“No one is questioning Rahul Gandhi’s leadership…he is the leader of all of us and the Congress. His contribution to the current atmosphere in the country against the Modi govt is immense. This we have to admit and we are agreeing to this…if some of our allies, be it TMC, Lalu Ji, Akhilesh Ji, have a different opinion about the INDIA bloc…we all formed the INDIA alliance together. If someone wants to say something new and wants to strengthen the INDIA alliance…then it should be considered and Congress should join the discussion and put forward its point,” Raut said.

“Our ties with the Congress leadership, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are excellent. Congress is a national party and has the highest number of MPs among the INDIA allies in the Lok Sabha. But still, if the INDIA bloc is to be strengthened again, everyone wishes to discuss issues related to leadership and who can give time to the alliance….(whether it could be) Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, Lalu Prasad, Sharad Pawar, or Akhilesh Yadav. Even BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, whose party is not a part of the bloc, can join INDIA. We are talking to people on this issue,” Raut said.

In Maharashtra, the INDIA bloc fought the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar and some smaller parties. While the MVA won 31 out of 48 seats in the Lok Sabha, the alliance received a severe drubbing in the assembly polls where they failed to even reach 100 seats in all.

Courtesy : TOI

Note: This news is originally published in timesofindia.com and was used solely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights