Trinamool Congress National Joint Secretary Derek O'Brien has dismissed speculation about a potential merger with another party, calling such reports 'fake news'. His comments come amid ongoing speculation about the party's future course, which has been grappling with an internal crisis following its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls.
O'Brien's remarks were made in response to rumors of a possible merger that gathered pace after a series of meetings between senior leaders of the Trinamool Congress and the Congress in New Delhi this week.
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee met Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, a day after the INDIA bloc meeting in the national capital. The Congress had also released a photograph of the two leaders greeting each other warmly at the opposition alliance meeting.
While neither side disclosed details of the Mamata-Sonia meeting, sources said Banerjee stressed the need for opposition unity and pitched for the INDIA bloc to work together to take up issues concerning the public and challenge the BJP.
Both the Congress and the TMC have dismissed speculation about a merger, describing such reports as baseless and insisting that their recent interactions were aimed at strengthening opposition coordination.
