West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing the Congress on February 2, suggested to the party that she doubts whether the old party will secure “even 40 seats” in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Mamata Banerjee, while accusing Congress, said Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was just the party's strategy to get Muslim votes. She said, “I proposed that the Congress should contest 300 seats (across the country where the BJP is the main opposition party), but they refused to comply. Now they have arrived in the state to incite Muslim voters. even 40 seats if they were to contest 300,” PTI reported.
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Congress's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra drew huge criticism from West Bengal CM. This yatra led by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi crossed the six districts of Bengal. Mamata Banerjee likened this venture to a “mere photo opportunity” for “migratory birds” in the state.
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The CM demanded the approval of state dues by the Center while speaking at a dharna in the state. She emphasized that her party was ready to form an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. However, she emphasized that her offer had been rejected by the old party.
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The TMC chief was steadfast in her refusal to allot seats and stated, “We were open to an alliance and offered them two seats which they rejected. Now just let them contest for all 42 seats. There has been no dialogue since then more between us,” PTI reported.
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The Congress' yatra through six districts of north Bengal, known for their sizeable minority population and traditional Congress support, could have been the trigger for the CM's shift in stance, according to media sources. Congress support is widespread, especially in Uttar Dinajpur, Malda and Murshidabad districts. CM Mamata Banerjee had earlier stated that her party intended to contest alone but remained steadfast in her refusal to allot seats.
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While challenging the Congress to defeat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the TMC chief said, “If you have the courage, defeat the BJP in UP, Banaras, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh. Where were you (Congress) ) when Manipur was on fire? We had sent a team,” reported PTI.
Stating that the Congress had not informed her about the yatra, Banerjee said, “Despite being an alliance partner of INDIA, they did not inform me. I came to know about it through administrative sources. They had called Derek O'Brien to to ask that the meeting be allowed to continue. Then why come to Bengal?'
(With inputs from PTI)
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Published: Feb 3, 2024 08:55 IST