The BJP on Monday again threatened to fell the democratically elected Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal, prompting ridicule from not only the ruling party here but also the CPM.
The BJP’s Nandigram MLA and leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari issued a veiled threat at a political event of his party, vowing that the Trinamul-led government being felled was a matter of time.
“People should kee p watching. They should keep watching. They (Trinamul) will have to go, they absolutely will have to go. Let them keep watching. First, Maharashtra. Then, Jharkhand. After that, Bengal. Let them keep watching… let them watch,” said Adhikari, a Trinamul turncoat.
The dismantling of the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra was apparently another edition of the notorious Operation Lotus denoting the ouster of a non-BJP government allegedly brought about through defections.
The BJP attempted it unsuccessfully in Rajasthan, but tasted success by felling elected governments in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. BJP sources have indicated it would be attempted in Jharkhand.
Trinamul Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen lambasted Adhikari. “He seems to have forgotten that this is Bengal, not Madhya Pradesh or Karnataka or Goa, or Maharashtra, where duly elected governments can be felled by purchasing MLAs through the misuse of money power, or by getting them hounded by central probe agencies. This is Bengal, the chief minister is called Mamata Banerjee, the ruling party is called Trinamul Congress, and our elected representatives are not up for sale, nor are they intimidated by central agencies,” he said.
“He is living in a fool’s paradise..... suffering from political bankruptcy, knowing how their boasts of 200-plus seats have reduced them to 70 — and that’s on paper, the real number is far less. His own position in that party is precarious, as neither (BJP state unit chief) Sukanta Majumdar nor (BJP national vice-president) Dilip Ghosh can stand him. He is losing his mind. We really hope he feels better soon,” he added.
CPM leader Samik Lahiri slammed the BJP. “The BJP has zero faith in people, which is why it buys and sells MLAs and MPs.... Us, Leftists, believe that Trinamul is an enemy of the people, but our struggle against it will involve nothing other than (getting) people to oust them from power. Horse-trading is murder of democracy,” he said.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress MP, alleged a secret pact between Mamata and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he said Adhikari was unaware of.
“The mutual management between Didi and Modi, not everybody knows about, that is why some make such foolish boasts in public. The Bengal government will not be felled, because the understanding between Modi and Didi can’t be undone by the BJP’s state unit,” said Chowdhury.
Adhikari’s speech was during a protest rally demanding action against Trinamul’s minister Akhil Giri over his purported derogatory remarks against President Droupadi Murmu.
Adhikari also brought up the sale of Mamata’s paintings in 2011-12 and 2012-13, referring to Saradha Group chief Sudipta Sen and Rose Valley chief Goutam Kundu named as buyers. CPM’s Lahiri asked why Adhikari kept mum before joining the BJP.