West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is now endorsing the opposition INDIA bloc recognising its growing momentum and aiming to maintain her relevance in national politics.
Chowdhury's remark comes a day after Banerjee's announcement that her party will extend support to the opposition INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre.
He termed Banerjee as an "opportunist politician" who altered her stance after realising the changing political landscape.
"This clearly indicates that the INDIA alliance is striding ahead and on the verge of forming the government and that's is why as an astute and opportunist leader, Mamata Banerjee has decided to extend her support well in advance," Chowdhury told a meet the press programme.
"She (Banerjee) has lost her credibility. She has understood the crude reality that voters are gearing towards the INDIA bloc. She has realised that she has been isolated in national politics. This is a ploy to stay alive in national politics," he said.
Addressing a rally in Hooghly district on Wednesday, the TMC chief had said her party will extend support to the opposition INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre.
Banerjee, however, clarified that in West Bengal, her party will not support the Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist and alleged that both the parties, who are part of the INDIA alliance, have joined hands and helping the BJP in the state.
"Do not count on the CPI-M and the Congress in Bengal. They are not with us, they are with the BJP here. I am talking about that (INDIA bloc) in Delhi," she said.
Expressing surprise that Banerjee had suddenly quit the INDIA bloc in the state, which was her brainchild, and claimed that by distancing herself from the anti-BJP grouping, she lost the minority support in West Bengal.
The INDIA bloc name was coined by her and she had even stated that Rahul Gandhi would be the leader and Mallikarjun Kharge the convener.
"I do not know what triggered her to quit the alliance. She even said that the Congress will not get more than 40 seats. Now, she can read that the situation has been changing across the nation," Chowdhury said.
She has been isolated at the national level and her desperation propelled her to support the INDIA bloc, Chowdhury claimed.
"She has woken up from political slumber and is talking about supporting the alliance only to save her fortune in West Bengal," the Congress leader said.
He added that Banerjee started drifting away from the coalition after the central agencies questioned and arrested Jharkhand and Delhi Chief Ministers Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal respectively.
Chowdhury welcomed the Supreme Court verdict that the ED would not be able to arrest an accused using their special powers under the PMLA. The apex court directed that the agency has to get the court's permission to arrest an accused.
"This verdict will help contestants in the next phases to fight without fear. This is a very positive move for the sake of the Constitution," he said.
If the judiciary was not there, people would not have come to know about the beneficiaries of the electoral bond and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal would not have secured bail, he said.
On BJP's claims of winning 400 seats, he said it was a mind game played by the saffron party to influence voters.
"Have you seen that (PM Narendra) Modi has stopped talking about this claim (400 seats) after realising that this is not going to happen? Many surprises are awaiting," he said.
Chowdhury claimed that the result of this Lok Sabha elections would have an immense impact on state politics.
"Take my words, the results of 2024 will drive away Trinamool Congress from the state in 2026," he said.
The Congress' Baharampur Lok Sabha candidate said that his prime rival while contesting was "the attempts by BJP and TMC to win the election using religious polarisation".
He claimed that in Sandeshkhali, both BJP and the TMC were trying to play the politics of religious polarisation.
Local TMC leaders such as Shajahan Sheikh, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar were accused of sexual assault and land grab.
"We are ashamed. There is no place to hide. I do not know who the women of Sandeshkhali are going to vote for... We are with the women of Sandeshkhali. Nobody has the right to play with their honour," he said.
On the Centre issuing citizenship certificates to 14 people under the CAA, Chowdhury said it was a political move by the BJP keeping in mind the ongoing polls.
"Modi can understand that after the four phases of polling, there is a change in the air and that is why he is taking path of the using the issue of religious polarisation," he said.
To a question on why frontline leaders of the Congress, especially Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, are not campaigning in West Bengal, Chowdhury initially said it was the party's "internal matter".
Chowdhury, however, added that he wanted Rahul Gandhi to come on May 10, but the former Congress president's office asked him to make it the next day.
"He was here during his 'Nyay Yatra', and he wanted to come on May 11. But I had asked him not to come since it was the last day of campaigning," Chowdhury said.
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders did come to Bengal, he said.
