Mamata meets Sonia; discusses political situation, Pegasus
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Jul, 2021 01:43 PM
New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi here and discussed the current political situation in the country as well as the Pegasus snoogate row.
Former Congress President and Sonia Gandhi's son, Rahul Gandhi, was also present during the meeting.
The meeting was held at Sonia Gandhi's residence at 10 Janpath here.
After the meeting, Banerjee said that she was invited for tea by the Congress chief and that Rahul Gandhi was also present there.
"We discussed the current political situation, Pegasus and the Covid condition, besides discussing opposition unity," Banerjee said.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also termed the meeting as positive, saying that the results will be seen in the coming days.
She said the Pegasus spyware row was also discussed in the meeting, and asked why the government is not responding to the alleged snooping charges.
"If the Pegasus issue is not discussed in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, where will it be discussed? The government should answer," she said.
Talking about opposition unity, the Trinamool Congress supremo said, "Everyone has to come together to defeat the BJP. Alone, we (Trinamool) are nothing; everyone has to work together."
Asked if she would be the face of the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee said, "I am not a leader, I am a worker. I am a person from the streets. All the opposition parties will sit together and decide who will lead the fight against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi.
"I want to see 'sachche din, bahut achche din dekh liya' (I want to see truthful days, seen enough of good days). Now ‘khela' (game) will happen in the whole country."
Later on Wednesday evening, Banerjee is expected to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
On Tuesday, she had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the meeting, Banerjee had said, "It was a courtesy meeting. I told the Prime Minister about the need for more vaccines and medicines in West Bengal. I also raised the pending issue of change of name of the state, to which the Prime Minister said he will see."
On Tuesday, she had also met Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Anand Sharma, among others.
The opposition has been continuously attacking the government after it told the Parliament on July 20 that states have not reported any death due to oxygen during the second wave.
Amid the Pegasus snooping row on politicians, journalists and others, former Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday alleged that the government was aware of the snooping
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that through this portal, the government will receive feedback from the people and also inform them about the various schemes of the government.
According to officials, several people of Khakrai village had allegedly consumed alcohol on Saturday, after which three persons died on Saturday and Sunday. As the incident came to light, State Excise Minister Jagdish Devda assured strict action.
The required measures, including development of infrastructure like construction of roads, tunnels and strategic railway lines, are taken to safeguard the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of India, the minister said.
