BJP's ‘nalayak ’ dig at Congress amid INDIA bloc's bid to mollify Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday took savage jibes at the Congress after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her Trinamool Congress will contest the general elections alone, saying the Mallikarjun Kharge-led party is “nalayak”(useless) and the Opposition’s INDIA alliance is “unnatural”.

The BJP’s attack comes amid attempts by the Congress party to mollify the Trinamool Congress chief.

“This alliance is unnatural because, in West Bengal, Congress and CPM are fighting against Mamata Banerjee. A while ago, in the Panchayat elections, Congress and CPM were thrashed by TMC workers. Mamata Banerjee knows the ground report,” said Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar.

Karnataka BJP leader R Ashok said he welcomes Banerjee’s stand. “Congress is a ‘nalayak’ party,” he quipped.

Karnataka BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai claimed the INDIA alliance has “broken apart”. He described Banerjee’s move as a big setback for the Congress.

“INDI alliance has broken apart. Without the leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar and Akhilesh Yadav, what is INDIA, and this bickering is against the policy and attitude of the Congress. It is a big setback for the Congress,” he said.

BJP leader Rahul Sinha claimed the fear of the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI had forced the Opposition to coalesce.

“Some parties made an alliance due to the fear of ED and CBI, and formed the INDIA bloc. Mamata Banerjee’s statement on fighting alone in the election is the biggest shock for Congress and INDIA bloc. Rahul Gandhi who is on ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, has failed to unite his alliance; how will he unite the nation?” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress and its other INDIA bloc partners downplayed Mamata Banerjee’s snub.

“Congress President (Mallikarjun) Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi respect Mamata Banerjee a lot. So, I believe that sometimes speed breakers come in a long journey, but we will find a way through discussion. Mamata Banerjee’s priority is to defeat the BJP, and with the same intention, the ‘Bharat Jodo Naya Yatra’ will enter Cooch Behar, West Bengal tomorrow,” said Jairam Ramesh.

He said the TMC is a pillar of the INDIA alliance and his party cannot imagine an anti-BJP alliance without Banerjee’s Trinamool.

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) working president Supriya Sule said: “She is our didi and we love and respect her. The alliance (INDIA) is united and we will all fight together. There will be no loss to the alliance. The model in every state will be different. There is no infight in the alliance. We are in frequent conversation.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray heaped praise on Banerjee saying she has been fighting like a tigress in Bengal.

Banerjee’s announcement came amid a bitter war of words between the Trinamool Congress and Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

The Trinamool Congress won 22 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. They couldn’t stop the BJP from pulling off a stellar performance — the party won 18 seats. However, Banerjee bounced back in the 2021 assembly elections as her party decimated the BJP and scored a landslide victory for the third successive time.

With inputs from PTI, ANI

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