In blow to Opposition unity, bad blood between Cong, TMC flares on heels of uneasy truce

Three months after wresting the Muslim-dominated Sagardighi Assembly seat in Murshidabad in a bypoll from the TMC, the Congess MLA switched to the ruling party on Monday. Bayron’s defection comes at a time when efforts are on to forge Opposition unity to take on the BJP in the 2024 polls.

In February, the TMC candidate’s defeat in Sagardighi had enraged Mamata, who had then said: “In 2024, we will see an alliance between the Trinamool and the people. We will not go with any of the other political parties. We will fight alone with people’s support. Those who want to defeat the BJP, I believe they will vote for us. The ones voting for CPI(M) and Congress are actually voting for BJP.”

The TMC appeared to soften its stance towards the Congress after Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP following his conviction and sentencing over his 2019 Modi surname remark.

In Bengal, the relations between the two parties have been strained for a long time. In the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections, the Congress aligned with the CPM-led Left Front to take on the TMC, which swept both the polls.

Recently, Bihar CM and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav visited Mamata in Kolkata, following which both Kumar and Mamata asserted that all anti-BJP forces should work together for Opposition unity for the 2024 elections. Many Opposition parties are going to have their first joint conclave in this regard in Patna on June 12.

However, after Bayron joined the TMC in his presence, senior party leader and Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee said, “Our chairperson Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly stated that she has no problem supporting the Congress in order to defeat the BJP. However, Bengal PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is claiming that he will fight the Trinamool. This implies that he has no intention of defeating the BJP.”

Abhishek said, “We don’t mind supporting Congress, but that doesn’t mean that in places where the TMC is strong, Congress would fight us to strengthen BJP. If Congress weakens Trinamool, the only party to gain will be BJP. We are ready to support the Congress in places where they are strong, but they should do the same thing in places where TMC remains the principal force to take on the BJP.”

He also claimed, “Congress and Adhir expects the Opposition to support them, but in return, they don’t want to extend the same support to the other Opposition parties. If Adhir wants to break TMC, who benefits? Not Congress or CPM, but BJP. If I had to break the Congress, Bayron would have joined us back in Murshidabad itself. If we decide to break the Congress, 4 MPs (from other states) would join TMC at a moment’s notice. However, we don’t want to do the politics of breaking political parties, we want to defeat the BJP.”

Slamming the TMC after Bayron’s switchover, Adhir said, “Our fight against TMC and BJP will continue.”

CPM leader Tanmay Bhattacharya said, “Bayron Biswas won because people wanted to defeat TMC and BJP and that situation has not changed. If vote is again held in Sagardighi, then TMC and BJP will again be defeated.”

Launching a scathing attack on the TMC, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, “Three months after he was elected as a Congress MLA in a historic victory Bayron Biswas has been lured away by the TMC in West Bengal. This is a complete betrayal of the mandate of the people of the Sagardighi Assembly constituency.”

Ramesh also said, “Such poaching which has happened earlier in Goa, Meghalaya, Tripura and other states is not designed to strengthen Opposition unity and only serves the BJP’s objectives.”

On her part, Mamata, during a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna Tuesday, declined to comment on Bayron’s move. “Ask our local party. I do not know. I saw it on news,” she claimed.

Mamata also charged, “Left, Congress and BJP never stop doing wrong things. They are the same and they will remain together. Let them remain together. They are three flowers of the same garland. They never think good things. So, I have no time for them.”

On Ramesh’s allegation that the TMC had tried to hurt the Congress in other states too, Mamata said, “I think we are all together at the national level. At the state level, all parties should understand they have their own obligations. We have contested only Meghalaya and Goa. But when Congress contested Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal, Gujarat, Chhattishgarh, we never disrupted. Instead of disrupting, we supported them. That is why I don’t have any comments (about Ramesh’s remarks). Anybody can say anything.”

The TMC chief also said, “If we don’t fight in other states, how will we become a national party. It is not for winning election, it is for vote percentage also so that we become a national party.”

On the June 12 Opposition meeting, Mamata said, “It is happening, I told Nitishji to call a meeting in Patna. He asked me day before yesterday and I confirmed (my participation in the meeting).”

Hitting back at Ramesh, TMC leader Derek O’Brien tweeted: “Despite Mamata Banerjee’s support Congress vows to fight Mamata Banerjee in Bengal” Statement from Congress two weeks ago. Congress breaches trust on Opposition unity and then expects bouquets of roses! And about strengthening BJP? Grow up please.”