Trying to form grand alliance against BJP, but Congress, CPI(M) singing different tunes in Bengal: Mamata

PTI, Jun 26, 2023, 3:23 PM IST

Days after the mega opposition meeting in Patna, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the role of CPI (M) and Congress, saying despite her efforts to form a grand opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre, their actions as playing second fiddle to the saffron camp in the state are throwing a spanner in the efforts.

Drawing the battle lines, opposition parties on Friday resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at a crucial meeting, even as fissures emerged with the AAP asserting that it would be difficult for it to be part of any such gathering in future till the Congress publicly supports it on the ordinance issues.

Over 32 leaders, including Banerjee, of more than a dozen political parties, had attended the meeting hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna. ”We are trying to form a grand alliance (Mahajot) against the BJP at the Centre. But the CPI (M) and Congress are trying to work with the BJP in Bengal. I will break this unholy nexus in Bengal,” the TMC supremo said while addressing a panchayat election rally here on Monday.

This is for the second time in the last ten days that Banerjee has criticised the Congress and CPI (M) for having a tacit understanding with the BJP. Reacting to Banerjee’s claim, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the ”credibility of the TMC in the fight against the BJP was always under a question mark.

”We all know the role that TMC had played in all these years in the fight against the BJP.” Echoing Chowdhury, the CPI (M) said Banerjee should be the last person to lecture the Communists and the Congress on ways to fight against the BJP. Meanwhile, the BJP rubbished the allegations of having any form of understanding with the CPI (M) and the Congress in the state. ”The CPI (M), Congress, and the TMC are on the same boat. It is the BJP which is fighting against the anti-people policies of the state government,” BJP leader Rahul Sinha said.