Kamal Ghorui
Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Tuesday criticised West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for making what he called “irresponsible allegations” after she hinted at a collusion between the BJP, Congress and DMK.In an X post, Tagore stressed that while the Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) are allies in the INDIA bloc at the Centre, they are competing against each other in West Bengal.“Mamata Banerjee’s recent remarks are highly irresponsible and condemnable. At a time when we need to stand united to fight against the BJP, baseless allegations will only serve to weaken the unity of the opposition parties. Levelling such accusations without any evidence suggests that Mamata Banerjee has lost her composure. It must not be forgotten that it was the Trinamool Congress–not the Congress party–that was in an alliance with the BJP in 1998 and 1999, and that contested the 2004 elections in partnership with the RSS-BJP alliance,” Tagore wrote.He added, “Targeting alliance partners and casting aspersions on institutions without any factual basis is not an act of leadership–it is a distraction. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has consistently stood firm and fought against the ideology of the RSS and the BJP. More than 25 cases have been filed against him; he was disqualified from his membership in Parliament, and he was evicted from his official residence. This is the price he has paid for standing up against the RSS and the BJP.”Tagore also called for unity and responsibility from the TMC as a Congress ally in the Centre. “The Congress party requires no lessons from anyone on how to fight against the BJP. This is not the time for irresponsible allegations. This is a time for unity, responsibility, and clarity of purpose,” he added.The Congress leader’s remarks came after Mamata Banerjee hinted at a collusion between the BJP and the TMC’s INDIA bloc allies, Congress and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee also accused, “Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s Congress is openly splitting votes with full protection from Amit Shah’s central forces.”The statements highlighted potential rift within the INDIA bloc, with leaders like Sagrika Ghosh and Udhayanidhi Stalin promoting Mamata Banerjee and MK Stalin respectively as leaders of the alliance.Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4. The elections are expected to be a high-voltage contest between the TMC and BJP, while Congress and the Left also seek to expand their influence in the state.
