Approached by TMC to merge party: Gogoi

GUWAHATI: Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi on Sunday said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has approached him to merge his party with it and offered him the post of party’s Assam unit chief.

“They have given a proposal that Raijor Dal should merge with TMC, and I should head the party’s unit in Assam,” the Sibsagar MLA said, without divulging on his party’s stand on the offer.

However, a party insider requesting anonymity said they have decided not to merge with the TMC.

Gogoi said he met TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, adding that three rounds of meetings between the two parties have already taken place.

Gogoi on Sunday said an alliance of regional parties under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee is in the making to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power at the Centre in 2024.

“If we have to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power, confederation of regional parties will play an important role. Hence under the leadership of Mamta Banerjee, all regional parties of India have to come together,” he added.

Gogoi said the Raijor Dal has started talks with the Congress to discuss the upcoming bypolls in Assam and the prospect of opposition parties, except All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) joining hands.

“We’ve had initial discussions with Congress. Some of their leaders are saying that they want to part ways with AIUDF, which was part of the ‘grand alliance’ for the assembly polls,” he added.

Bypolls in at least five seats are to be held in the coming weeks after two newly elected MLAs died due to Covid-19, two Congress MLAs quit the party and joined the BJP and former CM and Majuli MLA Sarbananda Sonowal joined the Union cabinet last month.