Saket Gokhale joins Trinamool Congress; Mamata-led party takes 'aggressive stand', says RTI activist

New Delhi:  RTI activist Saket Gokhale Thursday joined the Trinamool Congress in New Delhi. He said the Mamata Banerjee-led party takes an “aggressive” stand on issues. “The TMC is the second largest Opposition party in Parliament and it has been my obvious choice. If you look at all the national parties, the TMC takes an aggressive stand. The way the chief minister of Bengal has been fighting on the front foot, that’s what I’m looking for,” Gokhale said after joining the party. Later, in a tweet, he stressed on the need for Opposition unity. “The battle for me remains what it always has been. I will continue to do what I do with greater strength. The need for Opposition unity today is greater than it has ever been. “Everyone that is fighting the monster of the BJP’s fascism is forever a friend and ally of mine,” Gokhale said. In the profile of the new inductee shared by the TMC, Gokhale has been described as a transparency investigator, social activist and a former foreign correspondent of a newspaper. He has previously served as the creative director and the head of digital content at the Hindustan Times. He has also worked as a correspondent for the Financial Times. The TMC said Gokhale had recently filed a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act on the budgetary allocation for the Pegasus spyware by the Union home ministry. “Honored to join @AITCofficial under the leadership of the ever fearless @MamataOfficial & @abhishekaitc. The fight to safeguard our democracy & its institutions needs all hands on deck. I hope to contribute in the best way I can. Thanks for the warm welcome,” Gokhale said in a tweet with the hashtag #KhelaHobe (game on).