BJP alleges 'desperate' electoral motive in Mamata Banerjee's meeting with PM Modi

West Bengal BJP on Monday termed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to city and her decision to "back out" of opposition meeting in New Delhi as "desperate attempts" to divide anti-TMC votes in state.

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'A move to divide votes'

According to senior state BJP leaders, Banerjee giving opposition meeting convened by interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi a miss was a "well-calculated move to give oxygen to Congress and CPI(M) in Bengal, which are on ir political death beds. She (Banerjee) deliberately wants to send out a mess that something is cooking between BJP and TMC. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, we emerged as main opposition in West Bengal. "w, this is being done in a desperate attempt to split anti-TMC votes between us, CPI(M) and Congress," a state BJP leader said. He said this "trick" has, however, been exposed and will t yield any result as "people of state have already decided to oust TMC government in 2021 and bring BJP to power in state".

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BJP had secured 18 of 42 seats in West Bengal in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, just four less than ruling TMC. BJP had bagged 41 per cent of polled votes while TMC clinched 43 per cent, relegating Congress and Left to third and fourth positions respectively. "As Congress and Left had failed to hold on to ir respective electors base, many of whom voted for BJP in Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee is trying to project se two parties as main opposition instead of saffron party," ar senior BJP leader said. state BJP's views come after chief minister met prime minister and y shared dais at a state government event.

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Protesting incidents of violence allegedly perpetrated by Congress ad Left workers in state during a trade union strike on January 8, Banerjee had boycotted an opposition meeting called by Sonia Gandhi on January 13 over CAA, NRC, violence on JNU campus and "anti-people" policies of Centre. Trinamool Congress leaders, however, dismissed BJP's allegations, asserting that saffron party should "stop reading too much between lines". "It is TMC that has been at forefront of anti-CAA protest in country. We were first to oppose amended Citizenship Act. "So y (BJP) should think twice before making a baseless comment. It is BJP that has a tacit understanding with Congress and CPI(M) in state," senior TMC leader Tapas Roy said. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said "political match-fixing" between TMC and BJP is w out in open. " double standards of TMC and BJP are w exposed. political match-fixing between two parties has come out in open. TMC and BJP can never fight each or as y are two sides of a coin. Only Left and Congress can contest m," he said.

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