West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a frontal attack on the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance, saying the UPA doesn't even exist now. The Trinamool Congress supremo's big political statement came after her meeting with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.
“What is UPA? There is no UPA now,” she said amid the already strained relationship between her party and the Congress.
“A firm alternative course should be made as nobody is fighting against ongoing fascism. Sharad Ji is the senior-most leader and I came to discuss politics. I agree with whatever Sharad Ji said. There is no UPA,” she said.
Pawar also tweeted a photograph of the meeting with the TMC leader at his residence.
"Pleased to meet Hon'ble CM of West Bengal Smt @MamataOfficial at my Mumbai residence. We Discussed various issues. We agreed upon the need to strengthen the collective efforts and commitment towards safeguarding democratic values and ensuring the betterment of our people", he tweeted.
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Banerjee is on a three-day visit to Mumbai to meet leaders of the Shiv Sena and the NCP.
After its landslide victory in West Bengal earlier this year, the TMC inducted several Congress leaders in its fold. Recently, 12 out of 17 Congress MLAs in Meghalaya defected to the TMC, making it the principal opposition party in that state.
Earlier in the day, while interacting with a few civil society members in Mumbai, Banerjee said it would be easy to defeat the BJP if all regional parties came together.
“Continuous endeavour is necessary in politics. You can't be abroad most of the time,” she said in a veiled dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“I had suggested to the Congress that there should be an advisory council comprising prominent personalities from the civil society to give a direction to the opposition, but in vain,” she said.