Cracks in Oppn unity, Mamata Banerjee says Congress aiding BJP

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, June 26

In fresh developments that could spell trouble for fledgling attempts to forge anti-BJP Opposition unity for the 2024 General Election, the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal on Monday accused the Congress and the CPM of playing second fiddle to the saffron party in the state.

Leading the attack, TMC president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was working hard to stitch a grand coalition against the BJP “but the Congress and the CPM were striking dissonant notes”.

“The two parties are playing second fiddle to the BJP in West Bengal,” said the CM, making the TMC the second major Opposition party after AAP to allege that the Congress was in cahoots with the BJP. Mamata’s accusations follow AAP’s charge that the Congress, by refusing to publicly oppose the Centre’s ordinance on the control of bureaucratic postings in the national capital, was favouring the BJP.

AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann had skipped the public show of Opposition unity on June 23 in Patna and stated in writing that it would be tough for them to take part in any future Opposition strategy effort unless the Congress made its stand on the ordinance public and said it would vote against it in the Rajya Sabha.

With AAP and the Congress still sparring on the issue, Mamata today said, “We are trying to form a grand alliance (Mahajot) against the BJP at the Centre. But the CPI (M) and Congress are trying to work with the BJP in Bengal. I will break this unholy nexus in Bengal.”

This is the second time in 10 days that Mamata has slammed the two rivals in Bengal. Moments after Mamata’s attack, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the TMC was complicit in violence in West Bengal.

“The TMC can’t say it wants democracy in India and therefore, oust the BJP, and then in Bengal throttle it. That is not acceptable,” the Left veteran noted with Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury saying, “We all know the role that the TMC had played all these years in the fight against the BJP.” Only on June 23, Mamata, Yechury and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge sat at an arm’s length from one another in a show of unity that is set to be tested in the run-up to the Shimla meeting in July, where parties have said they would talk state specific alliances to keep PM Narendra Modi from winning a third consecutive term in 2024.