Mamata Banerjee writes to Opposition leaders to unite against BJP's 'attack on democracy'

Banerjee, who eyes a national role having been the Railway Minister twice in her career, said that it was the need of the hour for all Opposition parties to commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition to give the country the progressive governance it deserves.

In the backdrop of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s summons to her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the coal scam case, Banerjee once again hit out at the BJP for allegedly using the central agencies for political gains, an accusation which is echoed by several opposition parties.

"Central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, Central Vigilance Commission are being used to target, harass and corner political opponents across the country for vendetta," Banerjee claimed.

"It is amply clear that the Opposition is targeted and the BJP-ruled states get a free pass from these agencies to paint a rosy picture of their hollow governance," she added in the letter.

Not just the central agencies, the mighty TMC leader, who single handedly defeated the BJP in 2021 state polls at her backyard, accused the country's ruling outfit of "attempting to influence judiciary".

The Chief Minister, who heads one of the country's largest states, said, "In our democratic system, judiciary, media and public are important pillars. If any part is disrupted , the system collapses. Time and again, the BJP is trying to attack the federal structure of this country by attempting to influence a certain section of the judiciary."

"I urge that everyone of us come together for a meeting to deliberate on the way forward at a place as per everyone’s convenience and suitability. Let us commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition that will make way for the Government that our country deserves," she added.

Banerjee's political position as far as the national politics is concerned remained fluid in the last one year as she met country's primary opposition party Congress' president Sonia Gandhi to only propose a stronger alliance of regional forces a few weeks later.

After the Congress' poll debacle in the recent assembly elections earlier this month, Banerjee had almost written off Gandhi's force favouring a rainbow coalition of regional parties, which are dominating the opposition space in contemporary Indian politics.