Mamata ties rakhi to Amitabh, Uddhav; gears up for INDIA’s meet
Had it been left to me, would have given Amitabh Bachchan a Bharat Ratna: Chief Minister;
Calling him a legend and tying him a rakhi on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson, Mamata Banerjee said had it been left to her she would have given the Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan a Bharat Ratna.
Mamata is visiting Mumbai to attend the next meeting of the coalition of 26 Opposition political parties (INDIA).
On Wednesday, after visiting the residence of the Bachchan family, she said: “I am happy today. I met the ‘Bharat Ratna’ of India, Amitabh Bachchan, and also tied him a rakhi. I call him Bharat Ratna. If it was in my hands, I would have given him one (Bharat Ratna award) long back. I love this family. They are the number one family in India and they have a lot of contributions. I also invited him to attend Durga Puja and the International Film Festival.”
Banerjee also visited Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray at his residence ‘Matoshree’ and tied him a rakhi.
On August 31, Banerjee is scheduled Nationalist Congress Party leader, Sharad Pawar.
Sources said the meeting of the INDIA bloc will be held at a renowned luxury hotel in suburban Mumbai on Thursday and Friday. The previous meetings were held in Patna and Bengaluru.
“We have not held any conversations on the PM face. We are all the same and are members of the INDIA family. We want to save our country. Who will be the PM face is secondary. The PM face will be INDIA,” Banerjee said.
“BJP increased the price of LPG cylinders by Rs 800 and decreased it by Rs 200. First, they increase the prices and then reduce the amount ahead of elections,” she added.
Seat sharing in the states is one of the most crucial issues on the agenda, this time. A new logo of the INDIA bloc is likely to be launched after the two-day meeting. The inclusion of a few more parties will also be discussed. Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, hinted at a possible expansion of the Opposition’s bloc.
Meanwhile, as to who would be projected as the PM face from the INDIA bloc, sources said that Congress leader PL Punia has remarked that no discussion was held on this and it will be decided once the Opposition wins in the Lok Sabha election. The elected MPs will choose the PM candidate.