Will Mamata be face of Opposition? BJP takes jibe at her while Shiv Sena says it wants Uddhav Thackeray to be Prime Ministerial candidate

As Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is making political moves considering the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Vice President Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday termed West Bengal Chief Minister's meetings with National Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena leaders in Mumbai as a "show" while Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said that Uddhav Thackeray can also be considered as a prime ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha polls.

After Mamata won the West Bengal Assembly elections by a huge margin, has now emerged as the face of the Opposition.

Mamata, who is on a three-day visit to Maharashtra, met Shiv Sena leaders Sanjay Raut and Aditya Thackeray on Tuesday and is scheduled to meet NCP president Sharad Pawar today.

"I don't think anything will happen with these meetings. How will Mamata Banerjee support Shiv Sena? What do they have there? There is a distance of 3,000 km between them. It is all a show," the BJP leader remarked.

"It is a good thing to form a national party. But who is with her? She tried to break Congress in Tripura and bagged some votes but was not successful. It is good that she has now gone to Maharashtra, where she attempted to wash away her sins of politics of violence and murders committed in Bengal by visiting Siddhivinayak Temple," Ghosh added.

Reacting to her meetings, the BJP leader also said, "I don't think she will meet any big leaders there. The NCP has a little problem so they might meet her. Wherever she is going, she is cutting the votes of NCP and Congress by taking their leaders on her side. The big leaders, who went to Kolkata and got a picture clicked with Mamata, are also not meeting her now."

Shiv Sena in a statement issued on Tuesday had said that due to health issues, party president Uddhav Thackeray will not be able to meet Mamata.

On this, the BJP leader pointed out that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi did not meet Mamata during her recent Delhi visit, speculating that there may be a rift between them.

"Uddhav Thackeray can be ill, but what happened to Kejriwal and Sonia Gandhi? Why did they not meet Mamata? The politics that she is doing of dominating everyone is not being liked by those who were once on her side. She may go to Goa, Uttar Pradesh or Himachal Pradesh but she will not get any benefit and neither will she be able to help anyone. In states where Congress has weakened, maybe one or two retired politicians will take her side," Ghosh added.

After looting Bengal, the attempt to nationally spread TMC is not being liked by the people of Bengal," Ghosh said.

Meanwhile, on the speculation of Mamata attempting to form a coalition and becoming the Opposition's face in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said, "The Opposition does not need a face to be united, ideas are needed. First, ideology should match, then anyone can be the Opposition. Uddhav Thackeray is also in people's minds. Uddhav Thackeray's name is counted in 4-5 chief ministers who are said to be good. We also feel that Uddhav Thackeray should become the Prime Minister of the country. What is wrong with it?"

"It is a good thing to meet the leaders of the country's Opposition. It is good that somebody believes there should be unity in Opposition. The Opposition is not united, thus, they (BJP) are enjoying it," Sawant said.

(ANI)