What Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said on TMC merger speculations
The Congress has responded amidst speculations regarding a merger with the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal dismissed the claims of a Congress-TMC merger as "baseless rumors."
During a press conference convened by the Congress on Thursday, Venugopal was asked whether the Congress had made such a proposal or if the TMC had made such a request.
Responding to this, he said, "The discussions held by Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were solely focused on strengthening the INDIA alliance."
He added that Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh had already clarified the situation regarding this matter.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X on Wednesday, "Claims being made in some media reports regarding the meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee are completely incorrect."
"The meeting took place in a very cordial atmosphere. The two leaders share a long-standing personal and political relationship; therefore, several personal matters were also discussed during the conversation."
During the press conference, the Congress stated that the meeting was held in light of recent political developments in Madhya Pradesh and other states.
TMC MP Kirti Azad has stated that he cannot comment on reports of a merger and that only the party's top leadership can speak on the matter.
Senior Congress leader from West Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said he was unaware of any merger or such a proposal, but he indicated that the Trinamool Congress's attitude appears to have changed following political setbacks in West Bengal.