NEW DELHI: Responding to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s jibe that Congress will “not even win 40 seats” in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and its ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is a “mere photo op to appease Muslim votes,” the grand-old party on Saturday said the general elections are not “local-level polls” and taking on the BJP should be the priority of all parties.
“We should realise these (LS polls) are not local-level elections. The main agenda is to fight the BJP... We are assuming that Mamata Banerjee is still part of the INDIA bloc, a group of 27 parties. Her priority, she claims, is to fight the BJP. Our priority is also to fight the BJP. I think it is better if we all come together,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said while speaking to media.
Recalling the recent splits, Ramesh said, “We were together in Patna, Bengaluru and Mumbai. But something seems to have happened. First Shiv Sena split. Then Nitish Kumar did his ‘palti’. Now, Mamata Banerjee is making these comments. I think we should realise this...,” said Ramesh.
Addressing party workers on Friday, Banerjee slammed the Congress, saying that it is doubtful the party will even secure 40 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
Over Banerjee’s challenge to Congress of defeating the BJP in states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Ramesh said, “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will be in Uttar Pradesh for 11 days. She (Banerjee) has said a lot of things about the Congress but I would not like to say anything.”
The Congress leader asserted that state-level politics has to be set aside and a national perspective should be adopted.
Too much in too less time
Recalling the developments in the INDIA bloc, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “We were together in Patna, Bengaluru and Mumbai. But something seems to have happened. First Shiv Sena split. Then Nitish Kumar did his ‘palti’. Now Mamata Banerjee is making these comments.”
