KOLKATA: The CPM and Congress on Monday attacked West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, and spoke of her ouster during the state Assembly elections scheduled next year, which sparked off speculations about a possible alliance between the two parties. CPM leader Goutam Deb and state Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Adhir Chowdhury simultaneously told the media that their priority was to remove Mamata as the chief minister and oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Centre.
Indirectly reiterating his stand about aligning with the Congress in Bengal against the ruling Trinamool Congress, Deb said, “I can’t say whether we and the Congress are coming closer, but we are certainly not moving away. The Congress here has 9 per cent votes. We have aligned with many other smaller Left parties. We supported the strike called by the Congress August 18.
Elections are knocking on the door. What will happen none can predict. Our priority is to remove Mamata from Bengal and Modi from Delhi. Mamata is behaving in an uncivilised manner and whatever needs to be done to oust her, we will do,” he remarked. Chowdhury too echoed a similar sentiment and said, “We supported the all India general strike on September 2 called by the central TUs. Our movement is against the TMC government and naturally since the CPM is also organising movements against it, our issues are common. “The way Modi is praising Mamata, it signals the possibility of an alliance between the two. Both are talking along the same lines. We will march to the Nabanna on Tuesday against this government as anarchy is prevailing.
“Whether Deb is the face of CPM, I don’t know but if there is a proposal from their side to align with us against the TMC, we will think about it. But till date there is no alliance,” he said without ruling out a possible tie up with the Marxists.