The BJP countered Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday hours after he slammed the government over the Election Commission of India (ECI) temporarily freezing the Trinamool Congress poll symbol and name.
Gandhi took to X, accusing the BJP and the poll panel of splitting up the TMC. Countering the argument, BJP national spokesperson Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi reminded Gandhi of the Congress-TMC split.
“People have a perception about Rahul Gandhi that he knows nothing about the country...Today, he has posted a remarkable tweet which suggests that he knows nothing about his own party either. He has accused the BJP of finishing TMC after Shiv Sena and NCP. I want to tell him that these parties (TMC, NCP) were formed by breaking away from Congress themselves…,” Trivedi said.
Deep Dive
What temporary symbols have been assigned to the rival factions of the TMC for the upcoming bypolls?
Why did the Election Commission of India temporarily freeze the TMC's traditional name and symbol?
How did the leadership crisis within the TMC begin?
Also Read: Mamata's TMC faction gets football player symbol and new party name; Ritabrata camp gets envelope
TMC's history and Rahul Gandhi's remarks
Mamata Banerjee was earlier a part of Congress and broke away from the party to start her own on January 1, 1998 - the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
{{/usCountry}}Mamata Banerjee was earlier a part of Congress and broke away from the party to start her own on January 1, 1998 - the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
{{/usCountry}}“Years of relentless struggle against injustice convinced her that Bengal needed an independent platform, one free from the limitations of the Congress and strong enough to challenge the CPI(M)’s long-standing rule," a part of the AITC's ‘About Us’ statement on its website reads.
The party has been facing a crisis since May this year, ever since it was defeated by the BJP in West Bengal state Assembly elections. The loss triggered a rebellion within the party as 57 members rebelled and backed Ritabrata Banerjee as the LoP.
On Thursday, the ECI restrained TMC factions from using the party name and symbol during upcoming by-polls in Bengal, following which Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the government.
“First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern—BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then its election symbol is snatched away. When an entire party can be stolen, it's hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen too,” a part of Gandhi's X post read.
TMC factions allotted names, symbols
Rival factions of TMC were allotted separate names and election symbols by the Election Commission on Friday.
While the Mamata Banerjee-led faction has been allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’, with the ‘football player’ as its election symbol, the Ritabrata Banerjee-led camp has been allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’, with the ‘envelope’ as its election symbol.
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The rival factions had previously filed separate Form-B nomination documents, each claiming the TMC name for the by-elections in West Bengal and Assam.