Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, charged on Wednesday that the Congress was collaborating with the CPI(M) to bolster the BJP in the state ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at a public distribution programme, Banerjee claimed that the TMC made the decision to fight the upcoming elections in West Bengal on its own after the Congress turned down her request to run for two seats in the state.
The TMC chief declared that she would “never be able to forgive” the Left party, claiming that the CPI(M) had “tortured” people in the state during its 34 years in power.
“The Congress does not have even one MLA in the state assembly… I offered them two Lok Sabha seats, both in Malda, but they wanted more. So, I told them I will not share a single seat with them. CPI(M) is their leader… have they forgotten the tortures of the CPI(M)?”
“I will never forgive the CPI(M). I will also not forgive those who support the CPI(M)… because by doing so they actually support the BJP. I have seen that in the last panchayat elections,” she said.
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Banerjee said she has “no objection” if anyone from the family of former Congress stalwart from Malda, the late Gani Khan Chowdhury, contests the election.
“But the TMC will also contest. They (Congress) will fight along with the CPI(M), to strengthen the BJP… only the TMC is capable of politically fighting the BJP in the state,” she said.
If the Union government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party does not pay the state’s debt by February 1, Banerjee threatened to hold a dharna in Kolkata starting on February 2.
She called on party employees and others impacted by nonpayment of dues to join the dharna, which would take place at the BR Ambedkar statue in the Red Road neighbourhood of the eastern city.
“I have given them an ultimatum till February 1 to clear all dues of the state, failing which I will stage a dharna from February 2. If the dues are not cleared, I know how to get it through a movement.
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“I urge all party leaders and workers to participate in the dharna… I want everyone’s support,” she added.
According to the chief minister, the state owes an astounding Rs 7,000 crore for a number of central government-run programmes, such as MGNREGA and the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana (PMGAY).
(Source: PTI)
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