Mamata Banerjee close to me, such comments won't matter: Rahul Gandhi on Adhir Ranjan's seat sharing jab

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is "very close" to him and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's sharp remarks against the Trinamool Congress supremo on seat-sharing talks "won't matter".

Addressing the media on the sidelines of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Rahul Gandhi said talks with Trinamool Congress on seat-sharing in Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls were on.

"Mamata Banerjee is very close to me. Sometimes our leaders say something. Such comments won't matter," Gandhi said when asked about Chowdhury's recent remarks that Congress would contest the Lok Sabha elections without her assistance.

The former Congress chief said he had invited Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar to join his yatra when it would pass through West Bengal and Bihar respectively.

Last week, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is the state Congress chief, called Mamata Banerjee an "opportunist" after reports emerged that Trinamool was likely to field candidates in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

"We won't fight the election with Mamata's help. Congress knows how to fight on its own strength, and Mamata Banerjee should remember that it was with Congress's support she came to power in Bengal," he said.