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NEW DELHI: The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) connected Saturday categorically rejected speculation that it could merge with the Congress, with enactment nationalist associated caput Derek O'Brien describing specified reports arsenic "fake news".
He insisted that determination was nary ground to the claims that surfaced aft the apical leaders of the 2 parties met successful New Delhi."Let maine enactment an extremity to this fake quality astir the AITC merging with immoderate different party. Baseless. Yes, that's the cleanable connection utilized by my person KC Venugopal," O'Brien said, seeking to gully a enactment nether the speculation.The clarification comes amid heightened governmental chatter triggered by a bid of interactions betwixt elder Trinamool Congress and Congress leaders earlier this week, including meetings involving TMC main Mamata Banerjee, enactment nationalist wide caput Abhishek Banerjee, Congress parliamentary enactment chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.The Congress has besides firmly denied reports of a imaginable merger.On Thursday, Congress wide caput KC Venugopal dismissed the speculation, saying, "How tin we reply for this rumour? These are wholly rumours. Yesterday our connection caput has already stated that. These are baseless things. Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, but it was a regular treatment arsenic they (TMC) are an hold of INDIA alliance."
The caller engagements betwixt the 2 parties were aimed astatine strengthening coordination wrong the absorption INDIA bloc alternatively than discussing immoderate organisational integration, quality bureau PTI reported citing sources.On Wednesday, Abhishek Banerjee met Rahul Gandhi successful New Delhi. Reports said that the gathering was portion of ongoing consultations betwixt the Congress and the TMC pursuing talks held during the INDIA bloc gathering earlier successful the week.A time earlier, Mamata Banerjee met Sonia Gandhi aft attending the absorption confederation gathering successful the nationalist capital. While neither broadside officially disclosed details of the interaction, sources said the erstwhile West Bengal main curate stressed the request for greater absorption unity and advocated corporate enactment by INDIA bloc partners connected nationalist issues and against the BJP.
