The fate of the opposition’s INDIA bloc hangs in the balance, with West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee declaring on Wednesday that her party would contest this year’s Lok Sabha elections independently in her state.
Mamata underscored that there would be no tie-up with the Congress in West Bengal and also warned the grand old party to not “interfere” in states where regional players from the opposition front are strong.
“As a gesture of courtesy, did they (the Congress) let me know that they are coming to Bengal for the (Bharat Jodo Nyay) Yatra? They declined my proposal on the first day itself. Now the party (TMC) has decided that there is no alliance with the Congress in Bengal,” she said while going on a visit to Purba Bardhaman district. “They (Congress) can fight on the remaining 300 seats but should not interfere in the areas of the regional parties. If they interfere here, then we will see. There is no controversy regarding this. At the national level, we, as a part of the INDIA bloc, will decide our strategy after the elections. We will do whatever it takes to defeat the BJP.”
Sources in the TMC said that while the INDIA bloc took off after Mamata Banerjee suggested its name, the equations in West Bengal were always complex.
They added that Trinamool offered two Lok Sabha seats to the Congress in the state but the latter did not respond. The TMC has been pointing this out for nearly a month.
According to the sources, Mamata first made it clear in an internal meeting of her party that leaders should get ready to contest on all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. On Monday, she stated openly that the Congress had not responded to the TMC’s offer.
Mamata stressed that she felt insulted by how things were running in the INDIA bloc. The TMC chairperson also highlighted that she had suggested a plan to contest on 300 seats with regional players taking on the BJP in their strongholds. She maintained that the Congress has said it will do whatever it feels like.
‘ARC’ rival
Sources said that while the TMC’s top brass still agreeing to some form of favourable seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress cannot be completely ruled out, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is the stumbling block. The state Congress chief has always had a fractious relationship with Mamata Banerjee. It is believed that if the Congress ties up with the TMC in West Bengal, Adhir might break away, and this, going by past experiences, could dent the grand old party.
Observers said it all hinges on what will happen when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra enters West Bengal.
Mamata openly saying that her party will fight the Lok Sabha elections alone could be a way of putting final pressure on the Congress over seat-sharing before Rahul’s entry into Bengal, they added.
Shortly after the TMC chief’s statement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “We cannot think of an alliance without Mamata.”
This shows, said observers, that the Congress will try to talk with Mamata once Rahul Gandhi’s yatra reaches Bengal.
They added that if the Congress agrees to fight only on a few seats in the state, it would be a win for the TMC.
Eyes on Muslim vote
According to analysts, Trinamool does not want a split in the Muslim vote in Bengal and that’s why it is saying that it wants an alliance but is also highlighting the poor performance of the Congress in the state.
Sources in West Bengal Congress said that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and some other leaders feel that this could be the right time for the party to regain turf in the state as Muslims are unhappy with the TMC.
State Congress leaders said that they were aware of the pressure tactics of Mamata Banerjee. According to sources, Adhir is trying hard to convince his party’s high command not to bend before Mamata, stating that a tie-up with the Left instead could be fruitful. He wants to give the minorities in the state an alternative to the TMC that would also take on the BJP, they said.
Sources said that while Rahul Gandhi gave a patient hearing to Adhir, he wanted to test the ground in West Bengal during the yatra before reaching a conclusion.
CPI(M) MP Bikash Bhattacharya told News 18, “Mamata is a stooge, an agent of the BJP. The sooner the Congress high command realises this, the better for them.
Adhir Chowdhury has taken a stand and they should understand this. This will not affect the INDIA bloc.”
