Kolkata: Congress leader of the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Tuesday declared that the party will fight against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Mamata Banerjee’s home turf in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
This came a day after the chief minister of West Bengal indicated her willingness to collaborate with the Congress in the upcoming elections on the seats where it holds a significant presence.
However, she added a caveat. The Congress, she said, should reciprocate and support other parties where they are strong.
This statement was interpreted in political circles as a possible indication that she might enter into an alliance with the Congress, but only if they agree to support the TMC in West Bengal.
In the previous assembly election, the Congress had formed a coalition with the Left party.
Speaking to ThePrint, Chowdhury said: “Mamata Banerjee has realised after the Congress’ victory (in Karnataka) that she cannot move forward without an understanding with the Congress.”
“Did Mamata even once appeal to the people of Karnataka to support the Congress to defeat the BJP? The same Mamata Banerjee goes to UP, to Bihar to campaign for anti-BJP parties, but she didn’t go to Karnataka because the Congress was fighting there. Now, after the results, she has realised that without the Congress, she will not be able to secure Bengal,” Chowdhury added.
Pointing out that the Congress had defeated the TMC and secured the Sagardighi assembly seat in the recently-held bypoll in Bengal, Chowdhury claimed that the Congress has been gaining ground in the state.
“We won the Sagardighi bypoll after 50 years, we won Karnataka but she (Mamata) didn’t utter Rahul’s name once. Nor did she mention Congress. She should talk straight, speak to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. She should not forget that it was because of Soniaji that she secured a victory in 2011. But Mamata has only tried to uproot Congress from Bengal since then. We will continue to fight against the TMC and its corruption in Bengal,” he added.
However, speaking to ThePrint, TMC MP Saugata Roy said that the Congress has “eroded in Bengal”.
“We cannot tell Congress what to do, but Congress has eroded in Bengal. TMC is the dominant force. Mamata Banerjee has been saying that regional forces should fight BJP head-on in places they are strong across the country since the beginning. What Adhir Ranjan has to say doesn’t matter,” said Roy.
While addressing a news conference at the state secretariat Monday, Mamata had defined the terms of her engagement with the Congress, suggesting her willingness to work with them.
“Wherever the Congress is strong, in their 200 seats or something (as per) what we have calculated, let them fight and we will support them. But they must see that they have to support other political parties, too. I am supporting them in Karnataka but they are fighting against me every day. That should not be the policy. If you want some good thing, then you also have to sacrifice yourself in some areas,” said Mamata.
Open to discussion, the West Bengal CM, whose party lost the national party tag in April this year, added that her proposal doesn’t mean the Congress shouldn’t fight but a detailed discussion should be held to decide the strategy.
“In Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav must get priority. I am not saying Congress should not fight there. Let us decide. It is not at the final stage. When this matter is discussed, we can do so in detail,” she said.
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TMC rethinking its ‘go-it-alone’ strategy?
In March, the Trinamool had pledged to stay equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP. TMC MP and leader of the Trinamool on the floor of the Lok Sabha had said, “Any attempt by Congress to be the big boss of opposition will be resisted. TMC is the second largest Opposition party in India, and we are a force to reckon with.”
In the same month, Mamata Banerjee went on to say that the TMC will fight the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 alone with the people’s support. The party, which had sharpened its attack on and off the electoral battlefield against the Congress, seems to now be rethinking its strategy after the Karnataka results.
The BJP claimed these are signs of the TMC losing power. Speaking to ThePrint, BJP National Vice-President Dilip Ghosh said, “Mamata Banerjee has been speaking against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, then suddenly why has she changed her stand? This is a sign the Trinamool is losing grip in the state and no other party will join hands with it.”
However, political analyst, Snigdhendu Bhattacharya said that there has been no change in the TMC’s stand.
“Mamata Banerjee has always argued that if one is to fight against BJP, the parties strong in each state should take on BJP singularly in that state — for example TMC in Bengal, SP in Uttar Pradesh, Congress in Madhya Pradesh, and so on,” he told ThePrint. “That’s the sole point on which the TMC has made consistent efforts to build an Opposition alliance without the Congress, or with Congress in a lesser role.”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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