The opposition alliance has “ceased to exist” in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted on Sunday even as Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien attended the INDIA bloc’s mega rally in Delhi.
Accusing both the CPI (M) and the Congress of joining hands with the BJP, Banerjee said voting for these parties would mean voting for the saffron party.
"There is no INDIA alliance in West Bengal. I had played a key role in the formation of the opposition bloc. Even its name was given by me. But, the CPI (M) and Congress are working for the BJP in the state," she said.
"Don't cast your votes in favour of Congress, the CPI (M) and their ally, a minority party (Indian Secular Front) in the state if you want to defeat the BJP," she said.
Interestingly, at the INDIA rally in Delhi, O’Brien sought to affirm that "TMC is very much was, is and will be part of the INDIA alliance”.
The chief minister launched a scathing attack on the BJP, terming it a “riotous” party. "Do you remember Bilkis Bano's case? Do you remember the Hathras incident? Do you remember the riots in Gujarat? So remember, BJP is a riotous party and Congress, CPM have supported them," she said.
Banerjee claimed although several TMC leaders are being "hounded by the CBI and ED", not a single CPI (M) or Congress leader in West Bengal has been arrested by these agencies.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh sought to clarify the party's position, saying that his party is totally committed with the INDIA bloc at the national level but in Bengal, the Congress and the CPI(M) are giving advantage to the BJP, reported ANI.
They (Congress and CPI-M) don't have an organisation to fight the BJP, but they do politics against TMC to give advantage to BJP, and hence in Bengal, TMC will contest all 42 seats against the BJP, Congress and CPM," Ghosh told the news agency.
In January, Banerjee had announced that her party would contest the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal alone, rebuffing efforts by the Congress leadership to negotiate a seat-sharing agreement. The TMC is contesting in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats of the state.
