Title: Bengal on Collision Course: Mamata Rejects Congress, Goes Solo for 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

In the wake of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Mamata Banerjee, who is furious with the Congress for allegedly misleading her and her party about its itinerary in Bengal, said on Wednesday that she will stand alone in Bengal in the next Lok Sabha elections.

"I've always said that we would fight alone in Bengal. Before departing for Burdwan on Wednesday, Mamata said, "I am not worried about what will be done in the country, but we are a secular party and we will alone defeat BJP in Bengal."

A day before Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra arrives in Cooch Behar, Bengal, Mamata makes her remarks.

While in Assam on Tuesday, Rahul had said that he was in excellent terms with Mamata and that negotiations over seat-sharing were ongoing with the Trinamul.

In an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Assam, Rahul said, "We have good ties with Mamata and her party; talks for seat-sharing are on." "Our leaders speak sometimes, and their leaders speak occasionally as well. Nothing about it will affect the partnership in any way.

But Mamata made a resounding rejection on Wednesday morning.

I haven't talked to anybody. "On the first day, my proposal was turned down," Mamata responded to a question. "No one has spoken to me about anything. This is a complete fabrication. I was not notified that he was coming to our state, yet ek baar o boleni aaschhe amake ek.

"I had informed them that they may run for 300 seats nationwide and that the regional parties would handle the other seats. However, they refused to pay attention. Bengal is not in Congress's interest. After the elections, we'll determine what to do," Mamata said.

It seems that the chief minister's remarks have effectively ended any chance of the two parties agreeing on a change in the Bengali elections. It's unclear whether the Bengal unit wants to run for office alone or in coalition with the Left, or if the Congress high command would try to persuade the Trinamul head in any other ways.

As part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Rahul will be entering Bengal on Thursday via Boxirhat in Cooch Behar. Following a two-day respite on January 26 and 27, he will traverse the regions of North Bengal on Sunday and Monday before moving on to Bihar. Rahul will arrive in Murshidabad, the only Congress stronghold in Bengal, where state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is an MP, on February 1st, during the second leg of the Yatra.

Mamata's allegation that she was not informed about the yatra has some validity. All members of the Indian National Developmental Alliance (INDIA) were extended an open invitation by the Congress leaders in Delhi to participate in the yatra as it travels across the several states. Members of the Trinamul Assam state unit were seen carrying party flags during Rahul's yatra on Tuesday. Although the Assam unit persisted in its stance, the Trinamul officials in Calcutta said it was not a party decision.

Insiders in the Trinamul and Congress parties claim that while some leaders in Delhi may have been aware about the yatra, Mamata was not contacted directly.

"No one spoke to Mamata di, even though some of our MPs in Delhi were informed. "She is Bengal's undeniable leader," a Trinamul leader said.

However, Mohammad Salim, the state secretary of the CPM, received an invitation to participate in the yatra.

Following her Monday peace march, Mamata had complained about not receiving enough respect inside the alliance.

"I proposed the name INDIA, but I saw the CPM attempting to set the agenda at its meetings. I don't get the respect I should. "I refuse to follow commands from people I have battled with my entire life," Mamata had said on Monday at the Park Circus maidan in Calcutta.

The saffron camp erupted in cheers at Mamata's remarks. Mamata's choice to go alone, according to BJP Bengal co-minder and head of the party's IT department Amit Malviya, was an indication of desperation. She is unable to maintain her political position and wants to run for every seat in the hopes that, on election day, she will still be relevant. She was hoping to become the face of the Opposition coalition, but nobody ever suggested her name. Malviya wrote on X that her several journeys to Delhi to establish a national profile were unsuccessful.

"She just couldn't rid herself of the nauseating stink of appeasement politics and hide the blood of post-election violence," Malviya remarked. Mamata, ashamed, threw herself out of the race for Mallikarjun Kharge in an attempt to salvage face. She realized that, in spite of her bravado, she was worthless in the Opposition camp and had been preparing to give up for a long time.

The CPM is most likely to go to Bengal to participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra after Mamata's decision. It has previously voiced concerns about being associated with the Trinamul, despite the fact that Mamata and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury had both attended a number of alliance gatherings, including one that was open to the public in Patna last year.