© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
AFTER THE BJP on Thursday won Assembly elections in four out of five states including Uttar Pradesh, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) once again targeted the Congress, saying that the party has “failed in taking on the BJP nationally”. TMC leaders added that the Congress should merge with the TMC and called upon its leaders to join hands under the leadership of its chairperson Mamata Banerjee, who is the “only one who can defeat BJP.”
🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis 🗞️
TMC leader and State Transport and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said, “I do not understand why such an old party like the Congress is disappearing. We were also part of this party. The Congress should merge with the TMC. This is the right time. Then nationally on the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose we can fight against the principles of (Nathuram) Godse.”
TMC’s spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also echoed Hakim. He said, “We have said for a long time that the Congress cannot fight against a force like the BJP. To fight against the BJP, we need a leader like Mamata Banerjee. The Congress should understand this.”
Earlier, the TMC mouthpiece, ‘Jago Bangla’, had on multiple occasions accused the Congress of “confining itself to Twitter instead of building a powerful coalition of Opposition forces against the BJP.” The paper, in an editorial, said, “We want an alternative to the BJP, an alliance against the BJP. We have said that a number of times, even to the Congress. However, it seems to be least bothered. Our leader (Mamata Banerjee) has sought a framework for an alliance, a steering committee, a policy and a line of action to this end. However, nothing has been done. It seems that the Congress is happy confining itself to Twitter.”
The TMC also dealt a blow to the Congress in the coastal state of Goa by drawing senior leader and former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro into its fold.
However, the TMC failed to put up a good show in Goa and did not get a single seat. Their election ally, Maharashtra Gomantak Party (MGP), won two seats and have said that they will support the BJP. This has also left the TMC red-faced. Kunal Ghosh said, “We fought an election for the first time in Goa and we are satisfied with the vote share we got. But, we cannot comment on what the MGP decided. We have no clue about that decision.”
Meanwhile, Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury reacted sharply to the TMC’s proposal, saying, “The TMC is the biggest agent of the BJP. If they are serious about fighting against the BJP, they should merge with the Congress.”
The BJP leadership, however, took a jibe at the TMC’s performance in the Goa Assembly election. BJP state president Sukanta Majumder said, “In the next Lok Sabha elections (in 2024), Narendra Modi will be our Prime Ministerial face. From Thursday’s Assembly election results, it is clear that there is no TMC outside West Bengal. On the other hand, [Delhi CM] Arvind Kejriwal’s party [AAP] will now form the government in Punjab as well. As a result, now they should decide who will be the face of the opposition, Mamata or Kejriwal.”
