Mamata Calls out to Cong, CPI(M) to Combat BJP in WB, Gets Snubbed

Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said that Mamata’s appeal to Congress, CPI(M) is a reflection of “fear psychosis.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

(Photo: IANS)

A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached out to the Congress and the CPI(M) for a united fight against the BJP, the TMC claimed in the Assembly on Thursday that the Opposition parties had misinterpreted her appeal, while the two parties staged a walkout alleging contradictory statements by the ruling party.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, 26 June reached out to opposition Congress and Communist Party of India (CPI-M) to join her fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state but the two parties rejected her appeal saying that her policies are responsible for the saffron party's growth.

Speaking during the debate on the governor’s address in the state assembly, she said that the BJP is trying to run a parallel government in the state and parties like the Congress and the CPI(M) should join hands with the TMC to fight against it.

“The people of the state are witnessing in Bhatpara what happens if you vote for the BJP. I feel all of us (TMC, Congress and CPI-M) should come together in the fight against the BJP. It doesn’t mean we have to join hands politically. But on common issues at the state and the national levels, we can come together.”

Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal 

The Trinamool Congress supremo said that all the 23 opposition parties should unitedly fight against malfunctioning of EVMs.

"Before elections we (opposition parties) had tried to raise our voice against the use of EVMs. We had even approached the Supreme Court, but it didn't yield any result. We can take up the matter again and move court," she said.

Reminding the Congress about the importance of TMC's support in the floor of Parliament, Banerjee urged Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan to stop abusing her party in Bengal and concentrate on fighting the BJP in the state.

Mamata at Fault for BJP’s Rise in WB: Congress, CP(M)

Reacting to her appeal, Mannan said, "We don't need lessons from Mamata Banerjee on ways to fight the BJP. It is due to her policies that the BJP has gained ground in Bengal. She should first accept that it is due to her fault that the BJP has made inroads in Bengal."

CPI(M) legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty too echoed Mannan's views.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said that Bannerjee's appeal to the Congress and the CPI(M) is a reflection of the "fear psychosis" that has gripped the TMC.

“The CPI(M), Congress and TMC have been together at the national level so we are not at all afraid if they join hands in the state. Rather, it will act as an advantage for BJP in Bengal.”

Dilip Ghosh, State BJP President

Assembly elections in West Bengal are due in 2021.

The BJP had recently won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state and bagged 40.5 percent vote share — a record jump of 23 percent from the last general elections when it had won only two seats.

Although the TMC managed to increase its vote share by four percent, its seat share came down to 22 from 34 in last general elections.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front drew a blank, whereas the Congress tally was down to two from four it had in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.