West Bengal Chief Minister and ruling TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee on Wet said, “what is UPA, there is no UPA now” in the midst of signs that her party is against a Congress-headed opposition front to take on NDA.
She additionally attacked the Congress leadership saying politics required consistent undertaking, “if you are going abroad to enjoy, how will people trust you”.
Ms Banerjee said that only those politicians can take on BJP who know about the actual ground realities.
“We have done it in West Bengal,” she said. However Banerjee didn’t name a party or an individual, spectators said the remarks came because of an inquiry concerning the role of Congress.
She made these statements while communicating with civil society in Mumbai and after a meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence.
The Chief Minister said that opposition’s decision of PM would be chosen by the developing “situation and the states”, clarifying that the significant “issue now… was to wipe the BJP out of the country politically and save democracy.”
“We have to draft a comprehensive strategy to take on BJP, we need united opposition. We need a firm alternative against BJP. My meeting with Sharad Pawar was to work out an action plan to defeat the BJP…I know Pawar, I have worked with him,” said Ms Banerjee.
NCP was a constituent of the Congress-headed UPA alliance which shaped the last government at the Center and is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra with Congress.
The TMC has clarified that it will not toe the Congress line on a procedure for the opposition in and outside the Parliament. Lately, it has poached Congress leaders in a bid to grow its impression in the north-east, Goa, Bihar and Haryana.
“They just waste their time and BJP becomes more and more powerful. But we will not tolerate that. We saw what happened in Goa (after the last assembly elections). People’s mandate was for Congress, not BJP, but BJP formed the government. This cannot go on. I do not want division of votes but no political party is bigger than the nation,” said Ms Banerjee.
She surrendered that the strategy would vary from one state to another. “Why will we disturb the system in Maharashtra?” she asked, pointing out the anti-BJP alliance.
“But where there is no possibility, where Congress is not fighting and where BJP is growing…, we will not let BJP grow,” she further said, blaming BJP of “dividing society”.
Congress leaders including state president Nana Patole, previous CM Ashok Chavan and party leader in lawmaking body Balasaheb Thorat responded to Banerjee’s statements. Patole said the battle against BJP ought to be battled unitedly, keeping self images to the side. “Congress is the only viable alternative to BJP,” he said. General secretary K C Venugopal responded in Delhi saying “Everybody knows the reality of Indian politics. Thinking that without Congress, anybody can defeat BJP is merely a dream.”
Banerjee was on a two-day visit to Maharashtra. She was scheduled to meet Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, however that was dropped since he is recovering from a surgery. Although, Banerjee met Shiv Sena leaders Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut.
