While the Left Front attended the meeting, its leaders raised objections over Congress’ electoral approach in Kerala.
CPI(M) leader John Brittas is understood to have questioned allegations of tacit understandings between the Left and the BJP, seeking clarity from the Congress leadership.
The Congress and the TMC, which are strategic allies against the BJP at the national level remain long-standing political competitors in West Bengal, making their relationship one of cooperation born out of necessity and compulsion.
There is no ideological alignment and no unity of purpose too.
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It was a different Mamata Banerjee on Monday, June 8.
Trinamool Congress supremo marked a 'departure' from her old arrogance and previous efforts to carve out a space for herself independent of the Congress. She always she can lead the Opposition better than the Congress.
But defeat in state polls back home and declined opportunities even to be a legislator after she was humbled at Bhabanipur; she said the INDI-Alliance allies should "not criticise each other".
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This is only her political compulsion. Mamata always has been a part of any team when it suited her. Probably, she has grown too old with such characteristic and now everyone in politics and political journalism would know her better.
In 2023 and later, it was Mamata and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal who had prevented JD-U leader Nitish Kumar become convener of the INDI-alliance. An aggrieved Nitish later walked out of the alliance and had joined the NDA yet again. She has often insulted prime ministers in office both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and also Dr Manmohan Singh.
Even after the 2024 Lok Sabha poll results, Mamata had, at various points, questioned the Congress's ability to lead the opposition alliance.
The TMC earlier never missed any opportunity to underline its status as a non-electoral ally of the Congress, unlike the DMK.
But now ever since suffering the severe poll drubbing in West Bengal and two stages of dissidence by MLAs in Kolkata and MPs in Delhi; she has adopted a reconciliatory tone sheerly due to compulsion.
How much the other opposition leaders will trust her would remain to be seen nevertheless.
Sources said that before the meeting formally began, Banerjee had a nearly 10-minute-long conversation with Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
A picture of the two leaders embracing each other was also posted by the Congress on its social media platforms.
In his intervention, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also argued that mutual trust and solidarity among opposition parties would be essential if they were to successfully challenge the ruling establishment.
"It is clear that the Congress and INDIA are on one side and on the other side is the BJP-RSS," Rahul reportedly said.
Mamata also indicated her willingness to contribute to strengthening the alliance's organisational structure if required.
That means she would prefer a role or a position vis-a-vis the Opposition alliance. Otherwise, she remains cornered as the TMC chief and at best she is a former chief minister and a former Union minister and ex-MP.
A section of Mamata loyalists want Convener's role for Rahul Gandhi or AICC President Malikarjun Kharge and a co-convener or coordinator/secretary role for Mamata.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah is learnt to have endorsed the new online movement and one-protest organisation Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
"Let's associate with them, they must be doing something right," Abdullah said.
The AAP has backed CJP but it was absent in Monday's meeting of opposition leaders. Nevertheless. Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee met on Sunday night in Delhi.
Omar Abdullah also categorically asserted that the constituents of the bloc need to acknowledge that the Congress is the "glue" that holds the alliance together.
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