NEW DELHI: Even as several Opposition parties are gearing up for their first big meeting on June 12 in Patna, the rift between Congress and Trinamool (TMC) has come out in the open after the lone Congress MLA in the West Bengal assembly switched over to TMC.
Congress took potshots at TMC saying poaching is not designed to strengthen Opposition unity and such acts only serve BJP’s objectives. Mamata Banerjee-led party asked the former to do soul-searching and rein in its regional leaders. In a rebuttal to Congress’s charges, TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev told TNIE that the party should rein in regional leaders if they want opposition unity.
“The ball is in the court of the Congress. It depends on how Congress will manage the aspirations of the leaders at the state level. If they actually want Opposition unity, they should rein in regional leaders,” said Dev in a veiled reference to Congress state chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who is in a bitter battle with the ruling party. Earlier on May 29, Congress MLA in the West Bengal assembly Bayron Biswas joined TMC in the presence of party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said such poaching happened earlier in Goa, Meghalaya, Tripura and other states and it is not designed to strengthen Opposition unity. “Three months after he was elected as a Congress MLA in a historic victory Bayron Biswas was lured away by the TMC in West Bengal. This is a complete betrayal of the mandate of the people of the Sagardighi Assembly constituency,” said Ramesh. Responding to Ramesh, Dev said, “My humble request to the tall leaders of Congress is to take a closer look at state politics to see who is harming who. The problem with leaders of the Congress party in WB is that they don’t talk in the same voice as the central leaders,” she said.
Congress alleges that as part of its expansion plans in Goa, Meghalaya, and Tripura, TMC had recruited many Congress leaders into its fold during the Assembly elections held in those states. This has been a major bone of contention between both parties, with Congress accusing the TMC of scuttling the Opposition unity by eating into its vote bank.
The spar comes soon after JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar’s call to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to forge Oppositition unity. Congress MP Manickam Tagore too cautioned TMC that its efforts to destroy Congress won’t work.
“How can Congress work with a party which is working the BJP way? When will those who advise Congress to have TMC as a friend stop this madness from TMC? How can any relationship work if you destroy your friend’s life? TMC making efforts to destroy Congress won’t work,” he said.
Dev said though TMC extended unconditional support to Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, the party did not return such favours. “Without even thinking twice, Mamata supported Congress when Rahul was disqualified. However, when ED came after TMC leaders, WB Congress leaders said that Mamata Banerjee deserves it.”