Shehzad Poonawalla, the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took to social media to draw attention to the differences in opinion within the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the opposition bloc, regarding the G20 Summit. Poonawalla’s comments shed light on varying statements made by key opposition figures.
Priyanka Gandhi, a senior leader of the Congress party, referred to the G20 Summit as “Inke G20” during a recent statement. She expressed concern about waterlogging at the G20 Summit Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. Poonawalla responded to this by stating, “Priyanka Vadra & her party are entitled to be bitter & crib, but look at what Priyanka ji says ‘INKA G20’ – Are such programs ‘inka’ ‘unka’ or ‘Bharat Ka’? This is the mindset problem of a family that has always believed – ‘Jo Desh Ka woh inke parivar ka’… she is only manifesting that!”
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a senior Congress leader, questioned the decision of Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, to attend a dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of the G20 meet in New Delhi. He raised concerns about whether her participation would weaken her stance against the Narendra Modi government. The TMC responded by stating that Banerjee is one of the key figures behind the non-BJP bloc INDIA and suggested that Chowdhury did not need to lecture her about administrative protocols.
Shashi Tharoor, a Congress Member of Parliament, praised the New Delhi Declaration of the G20 members. He described it as a “diplomatic triumph for India” and noted that the widespread expectation was that there might be no agreement until the G20 summit was convened. Tharoor stated, “The Delhi Declaration is undoubtedly a diplomatic triumph for India. It’s a good achievement because right until the G20 summit was being convened, the widespread expectation was there would be no agreement and, that, therefore, a joint communique might not be possible, and, that we might have to end up with a chairman’s summary.”
Shehzad Poonawalla’s observations on these contrasting statements highlight the differences in opinion and approach within the opposition bloc INDIA regarding the G20 Summit.
