Prashant Kishor Still With Us, Says Mamata Banerjee After Congress Dud
Mamata Banerjee, the party’s chief, told NDTV today that the Trinamool Congress will continue to work with political strategist Prashant Kishor. Ms Banerjee’s remark came days after Mr Kishor’s failed attempt to join the Congress party. Ms Banerjee was re-elected in Bengal with the help of Prashant Kishor’s IPAC.
Last week, Prashant Kishor’s (PK) talks with Congress to join the grand old party fell through after Congress refused to accept his demands for a free hand in the party. Instead, Congress offered him membership in the party’s “Empowered Action Group,” which he turned down.
According to party sources, Mr Kishor’s lack of “ideological” commitment was cited by a section of the Congress, pointing to the IPAC’s deal with Telangana’s ruling party, the Trinamool Congress.
Mamata Banerjee told that senior Trinamool Congress leaders expressed similar concerns, but that it was “made clear” to them that the party would continue to work with him.
Prashant Kishor, who was drafted by Mamata Banerjee for her Bengal election campaign, is still working for her party, despite the fact that it won a landslide victory last year.
He has been instrumental in recruiting veterans from rival parties, primarily the Congress, for the Trinamool in recent months. He’s also talked about Mamata Banerjee as a possible pivot for an opposition coalition to take on the BJP in the national election of 2024.
Mr Kishor had turned down the party’s offer to join its “Empowered Action Group” after months of negotiations and speculation about Congress’s acceptance of his offer to rejuvenate the party as part of it. According to sources, PK wanted to be either the Congress president’s political secretary or the Vice President.
According to sources close to Prashant Kishor and the Congress, the party was hesitant to commit to the broad reforms he proposed, which would have forced many veterans out of their comfort zones.
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