Mamata Banerjee
Mamata calls on Left, Ultra-Left, other opposition parties to unite against BJP in Bengal
Kolkata/IBNS: Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee reached out to her political rivals and urged them to close ranks against what she described as the state’s “first enemy”.
Addressing a gathering outside her Kalighat residence on Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary, the Trinamool Congress supremo appealed to the Left, the ultra-Left, national parties, student organisations and non-governmental organisations to come together on a common platform to oppose the BJP.
The appeal marked a significant political message from Mamata Banerjee after the BJP’s emphatic victory ended the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state.
Mamata Banerjee said all parties opposed to the BJP should unite, irrespective of ideological differences.
“I call upon all opposition parties, including the Leftists and the ultra-Left, to come together to form a joint platform against the BJP,” she said.
She added that she was willing to hold discussions with any political party interested in building such a platform.
Banerjee also invited national parties to join the proposed alliance, broadening her call beyond West Bengal’s regional political landscape.
‘Our first enemy is BJP’
In her address, Mamata Banerjee said the current political situation required opposition parties to focus on a common adversary rather than past rivalries.
“It is not the time to think the enemy’s enemy is my friend. Our first enemy is the BJP,” she said.
The statement underscored her attempt to rally opposition groups that have traditionally opposed both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Appeal to students, civil society groups
Mamata Banerjee also called upon student unions of various political affiliations and non-governmental organisations to join the broader anti-BJP platform.
Her remarks suggested an effort to build a wider social and political coalition beyond established party structures.
Allegations of post-poll violence
The former chief minister alleged that Trinamool Congress workers and supporters were facing attacks in different parts of the state after the election results.
“Hooliganism is going on at places. Bad elements have entered their ranks,” she said, referring to the BJP.
Banerjee claimed that her government had not allowed such incidents after coming to power in 2011.
However, records suggest something different.
According to reports, widespread violence was reported across West Bengal after the TMC ended the 34-year rule of the Left Front.
BJP’s historic victory in Bengal
The BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, securing its first-ever government in the state.
The Trinamool Congress, which had governed West Bengal since 2011, won 80 seats.
Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as chief minister on Saturday at a ceremony in Kolkata attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior BJP leaders.
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