‘BJP bifurcating states to increase no. of MPs in LS’

Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee said that the BJP in its efforts to increase the number of seats in Lok Sabha is planning to bifurcate various states.

She also accused the BJP of causing splits among different political parties with the same intention.

“Presently the number of seats in the Lok Sabha stands at 543. The BJP mulls to increase this to 1000 seats in Lok Sabha and for this, they are trying to bifurcate states. They want one leader, one nation. They want only BJP to remain and not any other political party. They want one leader, one party,” Banerjee said during an interview with a Bengali television channel on Tuesday night.

On Sunday night, Banerjee had dialled NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) chief Sharad Pawar and extended solidarity to him on the backdrop of the split in the party.

“In the last few years, the BJP has been active in horse trading and is bent upon dividing elected governments, in different states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. They are trying to wind up the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav (Thackeray) through the use of Central agencies. They have caused a split in Sharad Pawar’s party too,“ she added.

Dubbing the BJP as a ‘420’ party, the Trinamool Congress supremo said that the tenure of the saffron party will be for another six months and they will not return to power next year.

“They promise so many things before the elections and after winning the polls, they cheat people by not fulfilling a single promise,“ she maintained.

Banerjee further alleged that the BJP is also desperately trying to divide Bengal by misguiding the Rajbanshi and also the residents of the Hills. The Trinamool Congress has alleged on more than one occasion that the saffron party is trying to create a separate state by dividing North Bengal, Assam and Bihar. A section of BJP leaders have also given the call of creating a separate Jangalmahal state.

Asked about BJP’s attempts to introduce the Uniform Civil Code Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Banerjee said that it will never be implemented. “There are several sub-castes among the Hindus too. So the Uniform Civil Code Bill cannot be implemented,“ she added.

The Centre’s push for a Uniform Civil Code, seen by many analysts as a sharply polarising issue, seems to have already polarised the Opposition parties, with some openly supporting the move, albeit with caveats, and others strongly opposed to it.