TMC to spread footprint across India, will take BJP head-on: Abhishek

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will expand its base in other states to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and win elections, said Abhishek Banerjee, the newly appointed all-India general secretary of the party. He further added that his party aims to spread its footprint in every nook and corner of the country and a plan to this effect will be ready in a month's time.
The TMC general secretary also maintained that not only turncoats, but many BJP MLAs have also approached the party and expressed their desire to join the Trinamool Congress.
Speaking during his first press conference at Trinamool Bhavan on Monday after getting his new post, Abhishek said: "We have received more than one lakh emails from people across the country congratulating Mamata Banerjee after her success in the Assembly elections and they have mentioned that she is the only person who can save the Indian Constitution," he said.
He said TMC was preparing its blueprint about its plan of action and it would be announced within a month or so. "We have started working on our expansion plan. The states where we want to work but rest assured it would be a different Trinamool Congress as its functioning would be completely different now. We do not want to have one or two MLAs or MPs in other states. We would work for the people and take the BJP head-on. We have not yet decided how we would start working in other states. It will be a thoroughly professional approach and we will earn the confidence of the masses."
Slamming the saffron camp for its "nepotism" jab against the TMC, the Diamond Harbour MP said he would resign from the party if a Bill is passed in Parliament allowing just one person from every family to join politics.
He further clarified that he had no intention to hold any public office or ministerial post for the next 20 years, and would only want to work for his party's development.
Criticising the BJP and its negative role in the election campaign, he said: "It was not a fight between Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi as reported by a certain section of the press. It was a fight between the people of Bengal and Modi. The masses have seen how the BJP destroyed all the institutions like the ED, CBI and Income Tax and politicised them. The integrity of the Election Commission was totally destroyed. It had conducted the elections in eight phases despite a sharp surge in the number of Covid cases in the last three phases. People have not liked the incessant lies spread by the BJP's IT cell and the arrogance of the party's central leadership. The hate politics failed to have any impact and the result was a landslide victory for the Trinamool Congress. From 211 seats in 2016, it went up to 213 out of 292 seats in 2021."
Asked to comment on the fate of the turncoats who have expressed their willingness to come back to the party, Abhishek said: "The whole thing is being looked after by Mamata Banerjee and she will be giving instructions in the matter soon." He said not only the turncoats, but many BJP MLAs have also approached TMC and expressed their desire to join the party.
On Amit Malviya, the IT head of BJP, he said: "When he is speaking about the dynastic rule in Bengal, he should approach the BJP and bring a Bill in Parliament that no second member from the family of a politician should be allowed to join politics or any other office of profit.
"Rest assured I will quit politics but what about Jay Shah? And what about the children of the BJP leaders whose sons are MLAs and MPs? Can Malviya ask this question to Amit Shah that how his son could be made the secretary of the BCCI."
Without naming Suvendu Adhikari, he added: "He should talk sensibly and cooperate with the state government. The other day he said 40 lakh people are working in other states. He should stop spreading canard against the state government."
Commenting on the visit of the Central team in the cyclone-hit areas, he maintained: "The BJP will not send any team in UP or Bihar when bodies of patients were thrown into the river." Abhishek also said after Mamata Banerjee took over as the Chief Minister, there has been no post-poll violence. "Some stray incidents had happened when the law and order was under the Election Commission. Some media are circulating fake news on the matter. The reports should be authentic and should not be based on lies," he maintained.