Kolkata, Nov 23: Ridiculing Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee after her party's bid for a no-confidence motion failed in parliament, a prominent Left leader Friday claimed the whole exercise was a mere attempt at publicity.
West Bengal's opposition Left Front chairman Biman Bose, who is also a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member, castigatling Banerjee, alleged that the Trinamool merely wanted to grab the spotlight.
He said the party had chosen to bring a no-confidence motion even though it was well aware that it did not command the support of the requisite number of 50 members.
Asked to react to Banerjee's Facebook post, hours after the motion was rejected, that the "saviours of the government are exposed", Bose replied sarcastically: "If the chief minister wants to get some mental peace by saying such things, we won't come into the way."
"Why should we rob her of her mental peace? We won't do it. That's unfair," he said.
"In politics, the strategy has to be decided after studying the ground situation. It was clear from the outset that it will fall flat. The Trinamool only wanted to grab the spotlight by moving the motion," Bose said.
Dismissing the entire exercise by the Trinamool as "strange, impractical and imaginary," Bose said that nothing can be achieved through sheer desire and yearning.
"I may have the desire to oust the government. But is that enough? Numbers are needed for this," he said.
Bose reiterated his allegation that Banerjee's decision to move the motion could have followed such advice from the Congress.
"After all, the two parties were alliance partners for some years," Bose said.
Under the rules, once a no-confidence motion fails, another such motion cannot be taken up in the house for another six months. The Trinamool's failed attempt comes as reprieve for the UPA government.
Drawing a contrast with Banerjee's Trinamool, Bose said the four Left parties - CPI-M, CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP - held a meeting in Delhi on Nov 12 where they finalised their stand to press for a discussion on FDI in retail under Rule 184 of the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Lok Sabha that entails voting.
"In the meeting, we discussed the stand of the constituents of the UPA and those of parties supporting the ruling coalition from outside. We found even parties opposed to FDI were not in favour of tabling a no-confidence motion."
"We realised that the UPA government would have a clear majority in case of a no-confidence motion. It was then that we decided to bring the motion against FDI in retail. If the government loses, then it will not fall, but we will be able to restrict the entry of FDI in retail," he said.
Bose, briefing media persons after a meeting of Left Front partners, said a meeting would be held in Kolkata Dec 6 - the 20th anniversary of the destruction of the Babri mosque - to foster national integrity, unity and communal harmony.
Saying that communal danger had increased both in the country and the state, Bose claimed that fundamentalists from both the Hindu and Muslim communities were active in West Bengal.
"In our state also they are holding programmes. We have to undertake communal harmony campaigns in all the 19 districts," he said.
