Congress Denies Merger Talks with Trinamool Congress

The Congress has dismissed speculation of a possible merger with the Trinamool Congress (TMC), terming such reports as baseless rumours. Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that talks with former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee at a recent meeting were limited to national issues and there was no discussion on the merger of the two parties. He said, "These are baseless rumours. The meeting between TMC and Congress leaders was only meant to discuss raising national issues more effectively." After former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee attended the INDIA block meeting in New Delhi on Monday, speculation of a possible merger between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress intensified. Subsequently, the two held separate meetings with Congress parliamentary party president Sonia Gandhi and leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi. Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been attending the INDIA block meetings of the TMC only on select occasions and has been sending senior leaders to the national capital to inaugurate the alliance in June 2023.