‘Congress, CPI(M) not INDIA in Bengal…they are BJP agents,’ Mamata Banerjee hits out

“Some say, we are INDIA, vote for us. India is not here, it belongs to Delhi. Congress and CPI(M) are not INDIA here. They are BJP. One vote for them means two votes for BJP. Don’t even cast a vote [for them],” Banerjee said. “We will lead the Opposition alliance INDIA in the coming days. But in Bengal, CPI(M) and Congress are agents of BJP. So I will not support them here,” she added.

The TMC, the Congress and the CPI(M) are part of the Opposition INDIA alliance but Mamata Banerjee has chosen to fight the Lok Sabha elections alone in West Bengal. Though the CPI(M) had said earlier that it would fight both the TMC and Congress, after talks between both these parties failed, it changed tack.

Banerjee’s remarks were made at Murshidabad, a district that has seen a strong CPI(M)-Congress alliance. In Sagardighi, for example, CPI(M)-Congress defeated TMC in a bypoll last year. Congress state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim are also contesting from Berhampore and Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively.

Banerjee also criticised the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI). “The BJP will not get even 200 seats in the country. All surveys are fake. Lakhs of rupees have been poured into the survey. Do not listen to it…BJP will not win,” she said.

She also commented on the ECI’s role during the first phase of voting. “The one who is marrying is also the priest of the marriage – I am seeing this for the first time. How come you are voting with only the central forces…leaving out the state police? So that people cannot vote?” Banerjee asked.

The Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal will be held in all seven phases from April 19 to June 1. Three constituencies, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri, went to polls on Friday.