West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday reiterated her pitch for an alternate front ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections without depending on the Congress after the party’s dismal performance in five states, including Punjab where it lost power to the Aam Aadmi Party.
Congress’s inability to retain Punjab has put questions whether the Grand Old Party is the real opposition party in the country, a point discussed after the state Budget.
“Political parties who want to fight the BJP should come together. No point depending on Congress,” Banerjee commented.
After Banerjee’s massive win the 2021 West Bengal elections, the TMC supremo had called up Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and initiated the talk of a united opposition, according to party sources.
The TMC had also initiated an alliance with the Congress in Goa but the party did not react. The TMC had even said if the BJP won in Goa, then the Congress would be responsible for it.
Banerjee termed the BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh assembly election as not a true reflection of people’s mandate and accused the saffron camp of looting votes by using the election machinery. “Akhilesh’s vote has increased and the BJP has lost various seats. So many complaints about the EVMs… Akhikesh has been made to lose. Akhilesh Yadav (of the Samajwadi Party) has lost not because of people’s mandate but due to loot of votes,” she said.
She even said the mandate will have no effect on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, all parties should stand united against the BJP, said a party insider.
Dilip Ghosh, BJP vice-president, said, “They will say all these things but one thing is clear that nobody can over throw Modi in 2024.”
Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury accused Mamata Banerjee of being a BJP agent. “She wants ‘Congress-free opposition alliance. You went to Goa to help the BJP. The Congress could have at least won in Goa.”
After Congress decimation in the 2022 assembly elections, it seems, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal will have to do the heavy-lifting ahead of 2024, according to political commentators.
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