Facing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s surge in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made a key political outreach to opposition Congress and CPI(M) to join her fight against the saffron party in the state but the two parties rejected her appeal saying her policies are responsible for the BJP’s growth.
Speaking during the debate on the Governor's address in the state legislative assembly, Mamata said 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 Trinamool 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 (Trinamool, 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," she said.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson said all the 23 opposition parties should fight together against malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines which she blamed for her party’s below-par performance in recent parliamentary polls. "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 Trinamool’s support in the floor of Parliament, Mamata 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. 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 Mamata’s appeal to the Congress and the CPI-M is a reflection of the "fear psychosis" that has gripped the Trinamool. "It only shows that the Mamata Banerjee is afraid of the growth of the BJP in Bengal. She has very well understood that she is going to lose the next assembly elections in the state.
"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," Ghosh said. Fresh assembly elections in West Bengal are due in 2021. The BJP won 18 of the 42 parliamentary seats in recent national elections the state and bagged 40.5 per cent vote share - a record jump of 23 per cent from the last general elections five years ago when it had won only two seats.
Trinamool managed to increase its vote share by four per cent, its seat share came down to 22 from 34 in last general elections. The CPI(M)-led Left Front drew a blank while the Congress tally was down to two from four it had in the 2014 polls.