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‘Only TMC can teach BJP a lesson in West Bengal’: Mamata Banerjee
Banerjee alleged that if the BJP manages to increase its number of seats from West Bengal, then they would torture people
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said only the Trinamool Congress (TMC) can teach the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a lesson in West Bengal, and no other party can.
“Only TMC can teach the BJP a lesson in West Bengal and set a model for others across the country. No other party can do it,” Banerjee said while addressing party workers in North 24 Parganas on Thursday as she kicked off the campaign for Lok Sabha polls.
The TMC would fight the BJP in West Bengal while the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) alliance will be there in the rest of the country, Banerjee said as she expressed her desire to contest the next year’s Lok Sabha elections alone.
However, the TMC chief said that the INDIA alliance will contest on all seats across the country. West Bengal has 42 parliamentary seats in the Lok Sabha. In the 2019 general elections, TMC won 22 seats and BJP 18 while two seats are with Congress.
Banerjee alleged that if the BJP manages to increase its number of seats from West Bengal, then they would torture people. “Ensure that West Bengal does not slip out of the TMC’s hands. If we get fewer seats, the torture (by the BJP) will shoot up.”
She claimed that the TMC leaders are being sent to jail so that they cannot challenge the BJP in next year’s election.
Banerjee also attacked the BJP over the suspension of non-BJP MPs in the Parliament. “Previous governments never did this. Nearly 150 MPs were suspended. Did it ever happen in the country? Never. This is torture and terrorising.”
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The BJP hit back at Banerjee saying that the TMC chief has betrayed other alliances in the past and now she will do the same with INDIA.
“Mamata Banerjee earlier betrayed Atal Bihari Vajpayee. She even betrayed the NDA [National Democratic Alliance] and the UPA [United Progressive Alliance] governments and she will do the same this time,” said Rahul Sinha, BJP leader.
Congress leader Soumya Aich claimed that the TMC and BJP have a secret friendship.
“The TMC and BJP were political twins. TMC is as lethal for West Bengal as the BJP is for the nation. They are in a secret entente. She has been on the lookout for excuses to abandon INDIA and strengthen the BJP. TMC can never be earnest and genuine in the fight against BJP,” she said.
The impasse over the seat-sharing in the Opposition INDIA alliance appears no closer to resolution as several alliance leaders hinted that they might contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in their respective states alone.
On Friday, ahead of the seat-sharing talks, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut hinted at no compromise over seat-sharing talks, stating that the Congress would have to start seat negotiations from “zero”.
