West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday attributed the crisis in the Trinamool Congress to the party’s “arrogance” and “Lord Ram’s curse”, while asserting that the BJP had no role in the Election Commission’s decision to freeze the party’s name and election symbol.
His remarks came after the EC assigned new names to the two rival TMC factions ahead of the October 6 assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’, while the rival group led by Arup Roy was assigned ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’.
“The Commission's decision was taken according to the rules, and after hearing all sides. She (Mamata Banerjee) could not keep her own party united. The party has split into two, three, four factions. She herself is responsible for this. The BJP has no direct role in it,” Adhikari told reporters on the sidelines of a Vishwakarma Puja programme at the state secretariat.
Taking a swipe at the TMC leadership, Adhikari quoted a Sanskrit verse to say that arrogance is ultimately destroyed by the Almighty.
He also accused the TMC of hurting religious sentiments through its past statements and political positions.
“Calling Hinduism a dirty religion, calling the Maha Kumbh a death Kumbh, and taking out a procession on the day of the Ram temple consecration saying 'we do not accept the Ram temple'... Everything has been destroyed by the curse of Lord Ram,” he said.
The EC’s interim order on Thursday night barred both factions from using the name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ and its ‘Jora Ghash Phul’ symbol in the upcoming bypolls.
The poll panel asked the factions to submit their preferred names and symbols by Friday morning. While the names could be similar to AITC, the symbols had to be selected from the list of free or available symbols for Independents and registered unrecognised political parties.
The Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly bypolls will be held on October 6, with counting scheduled for October 9.
(With inputs from PTI)
