New Delhi, A day after West Bengal CM and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee said there was no more UPA, the party MP Derek O'Brien said the alliance which was in power in the Center from 2004-2014, does not exist anymore.
"UPA was created in May 2004 with a clear purpose which was for governance, almost the same set of parties came back to office in 2009 and the UPA continued. But since May 2014 another alliance came to office for governance, so the UPA does not exist," O'Brien said at a press conference here.
"If you go by numbers, many of those parties have a diminished strength in the House. But numbers do not matter as they are not in government," he said even as he clarified that the TMC is still a part of the Opposition front in Parliament over suspension of MPs in Rajya Sabha and other issues.
He also highlighted how several Congress leaders have quit the party and joined other parties including the Trinamool Congress, and asked the Congress to "smell the coffee". He was accompanied by Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev, who quite the Congress and joined the TMC recently.
Political strategist Prashant Kishor meanwhile said the idea of Congress has lost 90 per cent elections in last ten years.
"The IDEA and SPACE that #Congress represents is vital for a strong opposition. But Congress’ leadership is not the DIVINE RIGHT of an individual especially, when the party has lost more than 90% elections in last 10 years. Let opposition leadership be decided Democratically," he said in tweet.
The comments come a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Mumbai said there is no UPA anymore.