TMC says Mamata Banerjee, not Rahul Gandhi, face of Oppn against Modi

The bonhomie between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress hit choppy waters on Friday after the TMC claimed that party chief Mamata Banerjee, and not Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has emerged as the face of the Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress in West Bengal declined to attach much importance to the assertions of the TMC, saying it is too early to predict who will be projected as the alternative face to Narendra Modi.

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The controversy erupted after the TMC's Bengali mouthpiece "Jago Bangla" ran a cover story with a headline: "Rahul Gandhi failed, Mamata is the alternate face".

"The country is seeking an alternative. I have known Rahul Gandhi for a long time, but I must say he has failed to emerge as an alternative face to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But Mamata Banerjee has been successful in emerging as an alternative face to Modi," the story quoted the TMC's Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay as saying.

The entire country is now supporting Mamata Banerjee, Bandopadhyay reportedly said at a party programme recently.

Mamata Banerjee, who has emerged as the fearless opposition face after her resounding victory in the West Bengal Assembly polls, has been trying to bring together opposition parties to form an alternative force against the BJP government ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls.

Reacting to the TMC's assertion, state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it is too early to comment on the issue.