Sri Lanka Prez asks Mamata if she will lead INDIA bloc; ‘depends on people’, replies CM
A smiling Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday asked Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a lighter vein, whether she is going to lead the Opposition alliance INDIA, at a chance meeting in Dubai.
Banerjee — who is on a 12-day tour of Spain and Dubai — met Wickremesinghe at the Dubai airport and was also amused by the question.
“If people support us, we can be in a position (power) tomorrow,” replied the Chief Minister.
Over two dozen Opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The coordination committee of the INDIA bloc held its first meeting at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Banerjee said that Wickremesinghe, seeing her at the airport lounge, called her to “join for some discussion” when she invited him to the state-organised Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) in November.
“His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe saw me at the Dubai International Airport Lounge and called me to join for some discussion. I have been humbled by his greetings and (have) invited him to the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) 2023 in Kolkata,” she said.
Banerjee also said Wickremesinghe has invited her to visit the island country.
“It was a pleasant interaction with deep implications,” she added.
In a video posted on social media by Trinamool Congress, the Chief Minister was seen interacting with Wickremesinghe. “Can I ask you one question?’ Wickremesinghe said, and after getting an affirmative reply from Banerjee he asked, “Are you going to lead the Opposition alliance”.
Banerjee, taken aback by the question from the Head of a State, said: “It depends on people.”
Banerjee had on Tuesday morning left for the tour of Dubai and Spain, during which she will attend business summits to attract investments to the state.