Mamata could be a partner to keep Modi out: Bardhan

CPI stalwart AB Bardhan on Monday said he is not averse to making Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, a partner if an alternative government is to be formed to stall NDA-led by Narendra Modi from coming to power.

‘I have the same view, that she could be one of the factors, one of the constituents. The whole idea is to keep Modi out,’ Bardhan told a news channel on Monday.

But the Communist veteran said there was a possibility of the presence of the Left in the next Lok Sabha going down.

Banerjee has been pretty forthcoming in her attacks against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate. In a scathing disparagement of Modi, the West Bengal chief minister called him the ‘butcher of Gujarat’. Not content with that she went on to say that the country will be “ruined” and plunge into darkness if Modi comes to power.

The West Bengal CM even described Modi as an ‘architect of riots’ whose ‘gyan on development’ is not needed in her state.

Indicating that Trinamool Congress may not forge any post-poll alliance with BJP, Banerjee said: ‘If he comes to power, India will plunge into darkness. We do not need gyan (lecture) on development from the architect of riots.’

‘The man who is being projected as PM candidate, if he comes to power, India will be ruined,’ she added.

However, the BJP is a divided house over how to handle Banerjee and to what level the public bickering should be taken. A strong section within BJP feels that given the prospect of the party coming to office this time, such a bitter fight with a prospective ally is inadvisable, especially at a personal level, which often leaves irreparable scars.

It took time for BJP to get into the warpath with Mamata, now an estranged NDA ally. Even on Sunday, Modi took on Mamata, but that was a day after Singh promised to offer Bengal the best possible package, if NDA came to office.