More of you who leave, the happier I'll be: Mamata Banerjee's message to rebels
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called on all INDIA bloc partners in West Bengal, including the Congress and the CPI(M), to set aside
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called on all INDIA bloc partners in West Bengal, including the Congress and the CPI(M), to set aside their differences and unite against the BJP. At the same time, she made it clear that rebels within her party would not be welcomed back. Speaking at the party's annual July 21 Martyrs' Day rally, Banerjee said the fight against the BJP was bigger than personal or political differences. Her appeal came even as the TMC appeared visibly split, with a breakaway group holding a parallel programme in Kolkata. Read Full Story Addressing the gathering organised by the Kalighat faction of the TMC near Birla Planetarium, Banerjee said, "I want everyone to unite under the banner of the INDIA alliance in Bengal to fight the BJP.
I don't have any ego. I urge others also to keep aside their differences and fight together." Though she did not name the Congress or the CPI(M), the remarks were seen as a message to the TMC's INDIA bloc partners, with whom the party has had an uneasy relationship in West Bengal despite being part of the national opposition alliance. The appeal came on a day of sharp divisions within the TMC itself. While Banerjee's faction held the Martyrs' Day programme near Birla Planetarium, the breakaway faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee organised a parallel rally on Mayo Road in central Kolkata. The parallel event underlined the organisational crisis that has gripped the party since the BJP came to power in the state earlier this year.
Banerjee struck a much sharper tone while speaking about the rebels. "I challenge the traitors to directly join the BJP and fight elections," she said, accusing them of acting as proxies of the saffron party. She also asked the dissidents to stop acting as the BJP's "side pillow" and instead formally join the party. "If you want to support the BJP, go to the BJP. The more of you who leave, the happier I will be. My students and youth workers are there to fill every vacancy," she said. "Those thieves have gone to the BJP. I will never take them back," Banerjee added. The TMC chief also said that the rebels, with the help of the BJP, were trying to take away the party's "twin flower" symbol, but could not do so because she is the founder-chairperson.
She announced that she would soon travel across West Bengal's districts, saying, "After this, I will travel across the districts. I want to see who has the power to stop me," in an apparent swipe at the rebel camp. Banerjee also accused the BJP of trying to stop her faction from holding the Martyrs' Day programme. She alleged that party workers had to guard the stage throughout the previous night after it was targeted. In her speech, she combined a call for opposition unity against the BJP with a firm warning that TMC rebels would not be taken back into the party. Ends
The BriefWire