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A day after siding with the Congress in the Parliament to support a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress poached five Congress MLAs in West Bengal.
The five Congress MLAs, who were present at the Martyrs’ Day programme in Kolkata on Saturday, come from the party’s stronghold of Malda and Murshidabad. Martyrs’ Day is considered to be the ruling Trinamool’s big bang day organised on July 21 every year.
Also siding with Banerjee were former BJP MP Chandan Mitra and expelled CPM Rajya Sabha MP, Ritabrata Banerjee.
The Trinamool has been able to poach nearly two dozen opposition members during its first term in power.
In the second term, there have been at least 17 defections from the Congress. Except one, none of the other 16 MLAs have tendered their resignations so as to bypass the anti-defection laws. Post the 2016 general elections, there has been one defection from the CPM too.
“We have to win all 42 (MP) seats from Bengal in the upcoming 2019 elections. It is our pledge and we have to oust the BJP,” Banerjee said. Trinamool currently has 34 seats in the Lok Sabha.
The West Bengal Chief Minister made it clear that the Congress needs to have a uniform policy and cannot seek the Trinamool’s support at the centre, while the party’s West Bengal unit acts as the principal opposition in Bengal.
“It is for the congress to decide what it wants. But, it cannot keep seeking our support at the centre and then be the principal opposition party in Bengal,” Banerjee said alleging that the CPM, Congress and BJP had ganged up during the Panchayat elections held earlier this year.
Federal Front
Making clear her national ambitions, Banerjee said a meeting of the Federal Front – comprising of anti-BJP parties – will be held in Kolkata in January 2019. The rally will be a show of strength of parties that intend to dislodge the BJP.
“The BJP’s tally will be be down 2019. They should be lucky to end up winning 100-odd seats,” she said pointing out that regional parties will be the king-maker.
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