West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday said that TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is now endorsing the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc as it is gaining momentum and she is aiming to maintain her relevance in national politics.
He also termed Banerjee as an "opportunist politician" accusing her of altering her stance after realising the changing political landscape. "This clearly indicates that the I.N.D.I alliance is striding ahead and on the verge of forming the government and that's why as an astute and opportunist leader, Mamata Banerjee has decided to extend her support well in advance," Chowdhury told a meet the press programme.
"She (Banerjee) has lost her credibility. She has understood the crude reality that voters are gearing towards the INDIA bloc. She has realised that she has been isolated in national politics. This is a ploy to stay alive in national politics," he said.
What Mamata Banerjee said?
Notably, addressing a rally in Hooghly district on Wednesday, Mamata had said her party will extend support to the opposition INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre. However, Banerjee kept it clear that in West Bengal, her party will not support the Congress and CPI(M), accusing that both the parties, who are part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, have joined hands and are helping the BJP in the state.
"Do not count on the CPI(M) and the Congress in Bengal. They are not with us, they are with the BJP here. I am talking about that (I.N.D.I.A bloc) in Delhi," she said.
Adhir Ranjan highlights Mamata's role in forming I.N.D.I.A bloc
Emphasising Mamata Banerjee’s role in coining the term I.N.D.I.A, Adhir said that the I.N.D.I.A bloc name was coined by her and she had even stated that Rahul Gandhi would be the leader and Mallikarjun Kharge the convener. "I do not know what triggered her to quit the alliance. She even said that the Congress will not get more than 40 seats. Now, she can read that the situation has been changing across the nation," Chowdhury said.
Chowdhury claimed that she has been isolated at the national level and so her desperation propelled her to support the INDIA bloc. "She has woken up from political slumber and is talking about supporting the alliance only to save her fortune in West Bengal," the Congress leader said.
He also accused Mamata of drifting away from the coalition after the central agencies questioned and arrested Jharkhand and Delhi Chief Ministers Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal respectively.
(With PTI Inputs)
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