Akhilesh meets Mamata; TMC, SP decide to work unitedly to fight BJP, keep distance from Congress

India

pti-PTI

The
Trinamool
Congress
and
the
Samajwadi
Party
will
work
unitedly
to
fight
against
the
BJP
nationally,
senior
SP
leader
Kiranmoy
Nanda
said
after
a
meeting
between
supremos
of
the
two
parties,
Mamata
Banerjee
and
Akhilesh
Yadav,
on
Friday.

Yadav,
Nanda
who
is
an
SP
national
vice-president,
and
other
leaders
called
on
Banerjee
at
her
residence
in
Kalighat
here
and
they
held
an
hour-long
closed-door
meeting.
“It
has
been
decided
that
the
TMC
and
the
SP
would
work
unitedly
to
fight
the
BJP.
Both
the
parties
would
also
maintain
distance
from
the
Congress,”
Nanda
told
PTI
after
the
meeting.

Yadav
said
that
his
party
is
following
a
policy
of
maintaining
distance
from
both
the
BJP
and
the
Congress.
He
told
reporters
that
regional
parties
will
chart
their
course
of
action
in
the
days
to
come.

“We
share
a
very
cordial
relationship
with
Mamata
Banerjee.
Naturally,
the
present
political
situation
of
the
country
was
discussed
during
the
meeting,”
he
said.
When
asked
about
the
role
of
the
Congress
in
the
opposition
front,
Yadav
said
the
grand
old
party
has
to
decide
this
on
its
own.

“Regional
parties
are
competent
enough
to
decide
their
roles.
the
Congress
has
to
decide
its
role.
Nobody
should
take
any
step
which
might
have
any
adverse
impact
(on
fighting
the
BJP),”
he
said
while
adding
there
are
several
faces
in
the
opposition
camp
who
can
become
the
prime
minister.

The
Trinamool
Congress
is
yet
to
come
out
with
any
official
statement
on
the
meeting
except
a
tweet
sharing
pictures
of
both
the
leaders
greeting
each
other.
“Hon’ble
President
of
@samajwadiparty
Shri
@yadavakhilesh
called
on
our
Hon’ble
Chairperson
Smt
@MamataOfficial
today,
in
Kolkata.”
the
AITC
tweeted.

Yadav
had
lent
his
party’s
support
to
the
TMC
during
the
2021
West
Bengal
assembly
poll,
which
was
reciprocated
by
Banerjee
when
she
campaigned
for
the
former
Uttar
Pradesh
chief
minister
during
the
2022
election
in
that
state.