The Opposition may be tom-tomming its June 23 meet as a show of strength but so far as the Congress and Trinamool Congress bond is concerned, it seems the blow cold, blow cold relationship is here to stay.
On Friday, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee hit out at Congress in Kakdwip, calling the party the “best friend” of BJP. “Congress is the biggest friend of CPIM and BJP. You want support from us in Parliament, we will do that against BJP but remember, in Bengal, you run your house with CPIM. Don’t ask for help here in Bengal.”
The chief minister’s statement raised eyebrows in political circles, especially at a time when the Opposition is trying to cobble together an alliance to take on the BJP.
It also prompted a strong reaction from Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who termed Banerjee a “Trojan horse”. “Mamata plays with BJP. Whenever there is opposition unity, she is the one who disturbs it. She is the Trojan horse. She should understand that she is a leader due to Congress ‘daya’ (sympathy). Why will Congress seek her help?”
The Panchayat Polls Challenge
With panchayat elections round the corner in Bengal, Congress is trying to put up a good fight against TMC in certain pockets.
In the Murshidabad area, considered Chowdhury’s bastion, two deaths have taken place from both parties each during the nomination process. The Congress leader has now sought central forces in the state — much like the BJP’s demand.
The Grand Old Party is also trying to dent the TMC’s minority vote bank — a fact that TMC realised when the Congress defeated it in the Sagardighi bypolls. Sagardighi has more than 50 per cent minority vote and though the Congress MLA Byron Biswas later joined TMC, facing defeat in the area remains a concern, said a senior leader.
After the 2021 Bengal election result, Banerjee went to Delhi and called on Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in a meeting that was widely seen as firming of ties between the two parties. However, as TMC “poached” Sushmita Dev and Mukul Sangma as part of its national expansion plans, the relations soured once again.
Apart from this, the TMC is not ready to let the Congress play the role of big brother in the opposition camp. Sources said TMC is not interested in sharing stage with Congress but since the BJP is a bigger enemy, it will have to be seen in the same frame as the Grand Old Party.
Opposition players like Sharad Pawar, Nitish Kumar, and Akhilesh Yadav are working hard to ensure seamless ties on the national level but coexistence of the TMC and Congress seems difficult.
Now, with panchayat elections round the corner, the ties seem to have hit an all-time low.
While there are talks of putting up a joint candidate against BJP in Bengal, Banerjee will not give any space to Congress. As per the chief minister, the opposition candidate should be picked depending on the strength of parties in a particular area.
As the two parties try to navigate the changed political scenario, it will be worth watching if the June 23 meeting is reduced to a photo opportunity or actually helps the Opposition put up a united front.
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