engal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday called upon all the Opposition parties to unite against the BJP in next year’s general elections.
Alleging that the BJP Government at Centre was trying to overwhelm the Opposition parties by using the central agencies Banerjee said, “I call upon all the Opposition parties to put up a united fight against the BJP in the 2024 elections.”
She said that though the BJP could gain some mileage by using the ED and the CBI to harass Opposition leaders, the “central agencies will not help it get votes.”
She was addressing a Government programme at the Murshidabad-Malda border where Ganga erosion was a grave problem.
Even as the Chief Minister handed over ‘pattas’ to people who had lost their lands to erosion, Banerjee alleged that “though we made several requests to the Government, the State administration has not received any help in this regard.”
She said that instead of using its merit to develop the country the BJP Government was busy doing politics
“The BJP Government is busy doing politics, spreading canards and committing atrocities on the Opposition parties... had they used their skills to develop the country it would have been better,” she said.
Erosion has been a major issue in Malda and Murshidabad districts with an advancing Ganga and its branch Padma river devouring hundreds of hectares of land displacing thousands of people.
Reacting to her comments Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “instead of criticising the Centre her Government should stop corruption so as to use those funds in developing the quality of people’s life... Furthermore let her Government first account for the previous grants before asking for more money ... After all this is public money...not meant for the thieves.”
On the question of Opposition unity CPI(M) leader Samik Lahiri said that TMC and BJP were two sides of the same coin. “It is Mamata Banerjee who brought BJP to Bengal and now she is asking for Opposition unity ... She is doing so because she knows that her party is on its way out.*