No groups or sub-groups exist in TMC, fight unitedly against BJP, says Mamata

KOLKATA: After getting elected as the chairperson of Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee urged her party's leaders to put up a united fight against the BJP and refrain from any infighting. Banerjee urged the leaders not to indulge in any group politics and strengthen the party base in Bengal. "There are no groups or sub-groups and those indulging in such activities, will be dealt with seriously. We should not do anything which BJP can use to its advantage. Remember in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, we will have to win in all the 42 seats," she said while addressing party leaders at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Banerjee also urged all regional parties to unite to oust BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Banerjee said the time has come to protest against "the high-handedness and muscle-flexing of the BJP."

"Come election and BJP will let loose CBI and ED. They have sent notices to friends and employees of Abhishek Banerjee. They will continue to disturb all the political parties in a bid to silence them. Without anyone to protest against them, they will sell the country and indulge in favouritism. We cannot allow this to happen," she said. She also stated that if BJP had to be ousted from the Centre, TMC in Bengal will need to win in all 42 Parliamentary seats in 2024 and directed the partymen to increase people contact.

Criticising the Union Budget, she said: "See the Budget. No relief has been given to the common man. Prices of diamonds have been reduced. It seems they will prepare vegetable curry with diamonds and eat them. The Budget allocation of MGNREGA has been reduced and this will hit the rural economy badly."

Hitting out at the Congress, Banerjee said the national party had helped BJP in Meghalaya and Chandigarh. "This is most unfortunate.

We had tried our best and requested Congress leaders to come forward against BJP. If nobody comes, I will continue to work alone and rest assured, during my journey I will pick up those who will work against the BJP."

TMC chairperson said there was a time when political parties believed in the ideology that through politics, they would serve the poor and the needy. "BJP has changed this age-old practice in India. It is keeping a vigil on every politician through Pegasus. The phones of Abhishek, PK and many others had been tapped. The party has amassed crores of rupees through PM Cares and even the CAG cannot audit it. Trinamool Congress always keeps faith in people while the BJP believes in muscle and money power and misusing Central agencies."

Coming down heavily on the BJP, she alleged that over the years it had made Padma awards a matter of political recommendation. "It is unfortunate that they had proposed to confer Padmashri award on Sandhya Mukherjee, a veteran singer, who is admitted to a nursing home with ailments. They had sent two leaders to the house of Rashid Khan, who got Padma Bhushan."

Without naming the Governor, Banerjee said: "It has become his duty to criticise me. He has asked me to explain when Ma canteens were introduced. Again, he is asking the Chief Secretary, Commissioner of Police to see him while the Constitution clearly states that the Governor can talk to the officers only through the Chief Minister and not on his own. He wants to run a parallel government. He criticises me and then tweets his criticism on my Twitter handle. I have never seen such a person in my life," she remarked.

She also said that six to seven BJP MLAs had expressed their willingness to join Trinamool Congress as they wanted to be part of the all-round development in Bengal. "We do not want to bring MLAs from other parties to strengthen us, but those who want to work for development are welcome," she added.

Banerjee urged the leaders to take a pledge that they should work seriously and sincerely in Bengal so that she could go to other states and work to oust the BJP. "You will have to give me your word that you will work sincerely here so that I can go to other states and work in order to oust the BJP. Remember, we are no longer a regional party and now, we are a national party and the Election Commission of India has recognised us on September 2, 2016."

She announced that the first meeting of the working committee will be held in Delhi. "We are fighting in the Assembly elections in Goa where we started our journey five months ago. In Tripura, we will fight the election battle in 2023. I will go to Uttar Pradesh on February 8 to support Akhilesh Yadav. We have to spread in other states as our motto is to oust the BJP."

Banerjee said young party supporters and workers should know the reign of terror that had been unleashed by the CPI(M) in Bengal. "They should read my books Upolobdhi, Janatar Darbare to know the political history of Bengal during the CPI(M) rule," she added. She urged the young workers to follow the ideology of Swami Vivekananda. "Swamiji had said never say I cannot and his ideals of purity, patience and perseverance should inspire the youths," she said adding: "The youth should know that Trinamool Congress was born to protest against anything that is wrong. The party continues to follow this principle."

TMC vice-president Yashwant Sinha, party leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Tripura came to see the organisational election. Banerjee thanked Partha Chatterjee, who was the returning officer and Subrata Bakshi, the party's state president, for holding the election smoothly.