KOLKATA: With Trinamool Congress set to secure majority in West Bengal Assembly, party chief Mamata Banerjee today dubbed the coming together of CPI (M) and Congress as the “greatest blunder” and said people had rejected the “canards” spread by the opposition against her.
Accusing the opposition of spinning a “web of lies” to grab power, Banerjee said politics in the state had hit a “historic low” during electioneering and there should be a “Laxman rekha” to maintain decency in public discourse.
“People of Bengal have rejected attempts by the opposition to mislead them. The people did not like the way the opposition has spread canards against me in this election.
It is not good for politics and democracy,” she told reporters.
She also attacked a local media group, alleging that it was unfairly targeting Trinamool and spreading baseless allegations.
Referring to the charges of corruption against her party, she dubbed it as “a propaganda by a section of media. There is no corruption in Bengal. Bengal is a corruption-free state.
The people have rejected the allegation,” she asserted.
“This is the magic of Ma-Mati-Manush. The people are very intelligent. They have given reply to the allegations leveled by the opposition,” she continued.
Asked if she harbors the hope of getting a prominent national role in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, she described herself as a less important person, saying, “I love my country and my motherland.”
Banerjee said that the elected members of TMC would meet at 12.30 hours tomorrow to elect their leader. The new government will take oath of office on May 27, she said.
The TMC is well poised to get two-thirds majority in the Assembly leading in 215 of 294 seats. The Left and Congress were ahead in 72 seats while BJP is leading in four.
Turning to the Congress-left alliance, the TMC supremo said that from the point of view of national politics it was a blunder for the Congress to go with the CPI-M.
“It was the greatest blunder for the CPI-M to align with the Congress. They have compromised with their ideology. If you compromise with your ideology, you lose everything,” she remarked.
On her party’s relation with BJP, she said, “We have ideological differences with BJP but we will always support on issues that are beneficial to the people. We will support GST”, she said. –PTI
