"INDIA bloc calls Rahul Gandhi childish person": BJP on Mamata Banerjee's statement 'willing to lead alliance'

New Delhi: Reacting to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's reported statement 'willing to lead INDIA alliance', BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari on Saturday said that the INDIA bloc leader does not believe in the leadership of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra and claimed that the alliance itself calls Rahul Gandhi a "childish person."
"No leader of the INDI alliance believes in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra. The INDI alliance believes that Rahul Gandhi is a political failure... Sometimes Akhilesh Yadav says he is the leader, sometimes Mamata Banerjee says she is the leader, sometimes Stalin says he is the leader and everyone says in one voice that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra are not the leader. We do not call Rahul Gandhi a childish person, the INDI alliance calls Rahul Gandhi a childish person," Bhandari told ANI.
Earlier on December 3, in response to a query regarding TMC leaders suggesting that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should be made the INDIA bloc leader days after Congress faced a crushing defeat in Maharashtra assembly polls, party MP Kirti Azad said that the ruling TMC supremo takes everyone along.
"Mamata Banerjee has a 100 per cent record. Whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a humiliating defeat, it was only in West Bengal...Whenever he comes to insult Bengal and its honour, her vote share increases," the TMC leader said.
He further said that Mamata Banerjee is known for her articulate views. "She is a very senior leader. She speaks clearly."
He also said that Mamata Banerjee is a household name across the country.
"She (Mamata Banerjee) resides in every household in West Bengal, in every household in the country...Mamata Banerjee is someone who takes everyone together. She calls people only after making preparations and taking her time...," he said.
On November 26, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee suggested that one strong leader is needed to lead the INDIA bloc following the defeat of Congress in Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls. He had further said that the opposition alliance should be stronger to take on the BJP.
"The Congress has failed to achieve the desired result either in Haryana or in Maharashtra. We had tremendous hope from the Congress that they would do better. INDIA alliance is there but the expected result could not be achieved. And there is a great failure on the part of the congress to achieve the result...Today it is necessary if you want to fight against the BJP, INDIA alliance should be stronger. And to make it stronger, one leader is required. Now who can be the leader? That's the core question. Congress has done it. All experiments have been done, but they have failed...," he had said. (ANI)
MPs of the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party also skipped the joint opposition protest over the Gautam Adani bribery case.