Mamata Banerjee attacks Congress-CPI(M) tie-up, says ‘won’t share single seat’ in West Bengal

Amid the Congress party’s efforts to mollify the Trinamool Congress leadership for an alliance in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee attacked the Mallikarjun Kharge-led party on Wednesday, saying their alliance with the CPI(M) will strengthen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a remark that virtually called the curtains on the INDIA bloc in the state, she said the Congress rejected her two-seat offer.

“The Congress does not have even one MLA in the state assembly… I offered them two Lok Sabha seats, both in Malda, but they wanted more. So, I told them I will not share a single seat with them. CPI(M) is their leader… have they forgotten the tortures of the CPI(M)?” she said at an event in Bengal.

Mamata Banerjee said she would never be able to forgive the Left party as it tortured the people of West Bengal.

“I will never forgive the CPI(M). I will also not forgive those who support the CPI(M)… because by doing so they actually support the BJP. I have seen that in the last panchayat elections,” she said.

Banerjee said she has “no objection” if anyone from the family of former Congress stalwart from Malda, the late Gani Khan Chowdhury, contests the election.

“But the TMC will also contest. They (Congress) will fight along with the CPI(M), to strengthen the BJP… only the TMC is capable of politically fighting the BJP in the state,” she said.

Mamata Banerjee also announced that she will stage a dharna if the Central government doesn’t clear the dues by February 1.

Reacting to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s allegations that stones were thrown at Rahul Gandhi’s vehicle in West Bengal, she claimed the incident may have taken place in Bihar.

“I got a message that Rahul Gandhi’s car was pelted with stones. I checked what exactly happened and found that the incident occurred in Katihar, not in Bengal. The car entered Bengal with the glass already broken…I condemn the attack. This is nothing but a drama,” Banerjee said.

The Congress said Chowdhury’s remark was wrong news and the car sustained damage in an accident.

Mamata Banerjee’s remark came days after Nitish Kumar exited the INDIA bloc, pushing the Opposition’s alliance in an existential crisis of sorts.