On a day when Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the first ever BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee reached out to all opposition parties, especially the Left, with a call for unity to fight against the BJP.
However, CPIM reacted sharply to her call, saying she only was responsible for BJP’s rise in the state. CPIM Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, “She has no credibility of fight against BJP. Earlier, she said, she is eager to form a front with the BJP. During her tenure, RSS strengthened its roots in the state … she is responsible for BJP surge in Bengal.”
Mamata was speaking at an event at her residence to celebrate the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore on Saturday. “The reign of terror has been unleashed. In such a scenario, I would urge all the opposition parties of Bengal, the student organisations and the NGOs to come together and unite against the BJP. A united platform can be created where all political parties that are against the BJP. Along with the national parties, I would urge the Leftists and the ultra-Leftists to unite in Bengal as well as in Delhi. If any political party wants to speak to me in this regard, I am available to discuss the matter. It needs to be remembered that our first enemy is the BJP,” she said.
She accused the BJP of bringing people from outside the state to trouble opponents. “They are torturing people of Bengal with the help of goons who have come from other states. Some goons created trouble in front of my house and Abhishek’s residence. Abhishek’s daughter is also being threatened. Her private tutor has been heckled,” she said.
She also flagged the denial of permission to celebrate Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary at three places. “We have been observing the birth anniversaries of several visionaries of our country since our childhood. But why has permission been denied this time? This is pure autocracy and a blatant attempt to silence us,” she added.
She said all national leaders of the opposition parties have contacted her. “I have spoken to Sonia ji, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge ji, Uddhav Thackeray & Tejashwi Yadav. Akhilesh Yadav himself came here. I have also spoken to Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal,” she said.
Meanwhile, TMC’s second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee in a post on X alleged wrongdoings in the counting, SIR deletions and intimidation of voters. He accused the Election Commission of partisan “partisan conduct”.
“At the same time, reports of post-poll violence, attacks on party offices, intimidation of our party workers and threats against supporters are deeply alarming and unacceptable in a democratic society. Many dedicated Trinamool workers and supporters who fought tirelessly on the ground have allegedly faced targeted attacks and have been forced to flee their homes out of fear and insecurity,” he posted.
Kolkata: The TMC Saturday announced Sobhandeb Chatterjee as the party’s Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. The TMC, which won 80 seats in the Assembly polls, named Dhanekhali MLA Asima Patra and Chowrangee MLA Nayna Bandyopadhyay as Sobhandeb’s deputy, while senior leader Firhad Hakim was named chief whip. Hakim is also the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The party said the newly appointed leaders would work “with commitment for the interest of the people of Bengal”. ENS