TMC part of INDIA bloc: Mamata after ‘outside support’ offer

Shubhadeep Choudhury

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New Delhi, May 16

Facing attack from the Congress and the CPM in West Bengal for “abandoning the INDIA bloc”, TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asserted that the TMC continued to be part of the INDIA bloc, the joint platform cobbled up by opposition parties to take on the BJP in the elections.

Allies at national level

We were actively involved in setting up the INDIA bloc. The TMC continues to be its part. West Bengal units of the CPM and the Congress are different. At the national level, we continue to be allies. There should not be any confusion on this. — Mamata Banerjee, CM, West Bengal

Banerjee’s statement on Thursday follows her speech yesterday saying the TMC would offer outside support to the INDIA bloc government in Delhi after the elections.

Addressing an election rally in Kanthi to seek vote for TMC candidate Uttam Barik, Banerjee today said, “We were actively involved in setting up the INDIA bloc. The TMC continues to be part of the INDIA bloc. West Bengal units of the CPM and the Congress are different. At the national level, we continue to be allies. There should not be any confusion on this”.

While the Congress seemed keen to work out a seat-sharing arrangement with the TMC in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee snubbed the grand old party and unilaterally announced candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal from a rally in Kolkata in March.

The Congress and the CPM have managed to work out an electoral understanding in West Bengal regarding sharing of seats. The state leaderships of both parties have made it clear that they do not consider the TMC as a part of the INDIA bloc any more following the TMC decision to contest elections in the state all alone.

“Mamata Banerjee was planted in the INDIA bloc by the RSS. She walked out of the alliance at the instance of the RSS,” Md Salim, CPM politburo member and secretary of West Bengal unit of the party, said. Salim said while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren could be sent to jail by the BJP in vague corruption charges, Mamata Banerjee could escape action despite a slew of corruption charges against her government because of the protection provided to her by the BJP.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, president of West Bengal unit of the Congress, said Banerjee must first clarify why she abandoned the INDIA bloc. Congress party’s national leadership apparently believes in the policy of “keeping the door open” to Mamata. This was evident in the Congress party’s step of giving a statement when Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was accused of asking people to vote for the BJP rather than the TMC.