Mamta Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, made it clear on Thursday that the ruling TMC is part of the India block at national level and will remain so. Mamata’s statement comes a day after her party said that it will provide “external support” to the anti-BJP faction (INDIA) if it comes to power in the state.
Speaking at an election rally at Tamluk on Thursday, Mamata said the TMC was not in a coalition with the CPI (M) and Congress in the state, but is in an alliance with them at national level.
“I have formed the India alliance and I will continue to do so, there should be no confusion about that,” she said.
Mamata also warned that the Congress and the CPI (M), which are funded by the BJP, should not try to divide votes in the state. She said, “Don’t vote for them in the state. We are in an alliance in Delhi and we will stay in it.”
What Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary said?
Nonetheless, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress leader, conveyed his lack of trust in the Trinamool Congress leader, indicating that she has already abandoned the alliance.
“I have no faith in her. She departed from the alliance and fled. She is able to move in the direction of the BJP as well” – Chowdhury said – “they discussed demolishing the Congress party and predicted it would only win up to 40 seats, but now she claims this actually indicates the Congress party and the alliance are gaining power.”
He said the BJP was discussing defeating Congress and preventing them from getting 40 seats, but now it seems that Congress and INDIA will come to power, indicating a possible realization by Ms Banerjee that the BJP will probably lose.
The day before, Ms Banerjee – who had paused her participation in the group due to disagreements over seat-sharing agreements – announced that she would offer “external support” if they won the election.
She highlighted the Congress’ poor performance in the 2019 election, winning only two out of 42 seats, and argued that her party was the most likely to beat the BJP in the state.
Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats, with Trinamool winning 22 and BJP securing 18 in the previous election, as Ms Banerjee explained that the Congress lacked the influence to prevent the saffron party’s success in the state.
Following a period of high tension in January and February, Ms Banerjee decided to leave the group.
Want to seek justice for 2021 election: Mamta Banerjee
At the rally, Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP for winning the Nandigram seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, claiming she was unfairly defeated and promising to seek revenge.
Even though the Trinamool Congress emerged victorious in the 2021 Assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee faced a defeat in Nandigram against her former aide who switched to BJP, Suvendu Adhikari, who won by a close margin following multiple rounds of counting.
“With the help of the Election Commission of India, the BJP replaced the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police. During the election day, they deliberately caused a power cut, resulting in a shift in the outcome. I will pursue fairness for this unjust act, whether it be in the future or tomorrow. The BJP, as well as agencies like the CBI or ED, will not be permanent fixtures. My legal matter is still unresolved, and I will pursue fairness.” Mamata Banerjee insisted that this verdict did not reflect the opinions of the people of Nandigram.
