Can't rely on Congress for 2024 battle against BJP: Mamata

Kolkata: In a blistering attack on the Congress, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the country's oldest party of making a "compromise" with the BJP at the Centre of putting up no opposition against it on various national issues in the last seven years.

The Trinamul Congress supremo, who has set her eyes on coming to power in other states, also refused to rely on the Congress in her battle against the BJP in 2024.

Inaugurating Janbazar Sammilita Kali Puja in central Kolkata, Ms Banerjee said, "We once formed a government at the Centre in an alliance with the NDA based on a common minimum programme. Our top agenda was that attacks should not be meted out to the people from other religions. But, has the Congress fought any movement since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come to power? They only make tall talks when elections come near."

She claimed, "We are compelled to go everywhere because the Congress can not be relied upon. The Congress makes a compromise which we do not do. We can die but we can not allow the hands of the BJP to be strengthened. This is our commitment. We have been fighting this battle for a long time. There are some people who speak the truth straightaway. But there are others who say one thing in public but do something else in private to maintain understanding."

The TMC chief argued, "Let the Congress fume. How can they expect us to support them in other states while they fight us in each and every seat in Bengal? One should remember that the policy should not be different. It must be one. We were also in the Congress. But we came out. Why? Because, they cheated us and the people."

She argued, "People then helped us to be here today after a long battle. We formed three successive governments here with the help of the people. In the first among them, we helped the Congress to work with us. But they made an exit midway. We also came out of the UPA because of the continuous fuel price hike. Someone needs to make a decision. We have the ability to do it. That is why we resigned. But they (Congress) can not. They supported the CPI(M), which was our biggest enemy then and which once joined hands with Atal Behari Vajpayee. How could they do it?"

Ms Banerjee's salvo on the Congress coincided a tweet by her party which said, "@INCIndia's present leadership is BJP's BIGGEST insurance! In WB, we've been fighting & successfully defeating BJP since 2001. Instead of accusing others INC should put its house in order to effectively fight BJP or let others who've the will & ability to fight them nationally."