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Kolkata: Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the Trojan horse of the BJP and she should be kept away from all attempts to create an opposition platform before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In an interview to PTI, Chowdhury said Banerjee was an “incredible ally” who was trying to grow at the national level at the expense of the Congress.
“Mamata Banerjee has always tried to bite off the hand that fed her. They should be kept away from attempts to create opposition unity. She is the Trojan Horse of the BJP, which can never be trusted in the fight against the BJP.
“She is trying her best to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP by saving her family and party leaders from the clutches of CBI and ED. In return, she is helping the BJP achieve its goal of a Congress-mukt Bharat (Congress-free India). TMC is trying to break opposition unity,” claimed state Congress president Choudhary.
He said that TMC has always progressed at the cost of Congress.
“Earlier, they did it in Bengal, and now they are trying to do it at the national level. TMC is known for stabbing its allies in the back.
His remarks came as the Trinamool Congress is inducting Congress leaders to strengthen its national presence. Heavy Congress leaders joining the TMC include Sushmita Dev and former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro.
“Mamata Banerjee is dreaming of becoming the next prime minister of the country and Congress is her biggest obstacle,” he said. As long as there is Congress, it can never be the leader of the opposition front and hence it is trying to tarnish the image of Congress and weaken its leadership.
On an article in the Trinamool Congress mouthpiece which claimed that Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were not the face of the opposition against Modi, he said the party’s leadership was living in a “fool’s paradise”.
“Rahul Gandhi has been the most consistent opposition voice against the BJP and the RSS. Congress still has 20 per cent vote share in the country. Can you name any other party other than BJP with such vote share? The answer is no,” he said.
Chowdhary lauded Gandhi’s leadership, saying the BJP and some opposition parties were deliberately trying to defame him as they were afraid of him.
He said the Congress never claimed to be the leader of the opposition front as it was a “natural leader”.
“There can never be any anti-BJP front in the country without Congress. Opposition unity is based on shared ideas and policies and should not be at the cost of Congress.
On the crisis in the party’s Punjab unit, Choudhary said he was hopeful that it would be resolved soon.
“Congress is a liberal party, and we allow everyone to voice their opinion. Amarinder Singh is a respected leader and no one ever doubted his administrative abilities. But, the rising power in Punjab required a change of guard. And a large section of MLAs wanted change,” he said.
Read also: ‘Things changed because of her’ – Why did Bhabanipur vote for Mamata Banerjee since 2011?
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