KOLKATA: Hours after former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday lauded Mamata Banerjee for her efforts to counter what he described as the "onslaught of the BJP" in the country, the Congress and Left launched an attack against the West Bengal Chief Minister.
Reacting to the observations made by Akhilesh on Mamata during his 45-minute-long meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna on Tuesday afternoon, Congress and CPI-M leaders in Bengal alleged that the only goal of the Trinamool Congress, one of the leading partners after the main opposition Congress in the INDIA bloc, is to make Narendra Modi stronger by weakening the anti-BJP alliance.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, veteran Congress leader and former president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress, told TNIE, “Her only agenda is to make Narendra Modi stronger by weakening the INDIA alliance ever since it was floated. Despite being a partner of the alliance, she is doing such mischief.”
“People can still remember the day when she came out of the meeting of the INDIA bloc partners. I think there is a hidden agenda, which prompted Akhilesh to project the Trinamool Congress chief as the main campaigner in the anti-BJP bloc,” the former five-time Congress MP from Behrampore constituency in Murshidabad district said.
Recalling Mamata’s earlier stands on the INDIA bloc, a CPI-M Central Committee member alleged that she has been destabilising the anti-BJP alliance for the past two years.
Ahead of the last Lok Sabha polls, Mamata had asserted that the Left was striving to control the opposition bloc's agenda. "I suggested the name INDIA during the opposition bloc meeting. But whenever I attend the meeting, I find the Left trying to control it. This is not acceptable. I cannot agree with those with whom I had fought for 34 years," she had said.
After meeting Mamata at Nabanna, Akhilesh vowed to extend full support to her in her fight to save democracy. "Only 'Didi' (Mamata Banerjee) can counter the onslaught of the BJP in this country," he said.
Slamming the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Akhilesh said, "Attempts are being made to implement the NRC in the garb of the SIR, and harass people." Both leaders demanded a halt to the SIR process, which the Bengal CM has dubbed a ‘huge scam’.
Akhilesh's wife and Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav also participated in the meeting with the TMC supremo, which lasted around 40 minutes.
Akhilesh, who is on a personal trip to Kolkata with wife and Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav, arrived at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ around 1.40 pm. A senior official said, “This is a courtesy meeting. The two leaders are holding discussions at the CM’s chamber.”