Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a protest meeting in Kolkata on Tuesday, declaring that she would continue to fight the BJP till they were defeated.
Ms. Banerjee lost the West Bengal Assembly elections to the BJP a month ago.
Ms. Banerjee said it was unprecedented that she was facing protests outside her home.
Amidst talk of defections in the Trinamool Congress, Ms. Banerjee challenged her detractors over who among them would be making a “new Trinamool”.
Signature forgeryAfter the expulsion of two TMC MLAs there has been speculation that more Trinamool MLAs may break away.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a protest meeting in Kolkata on Tuesday, declaring that she would continue to fight the BJP till they were defeated. Ms. Banerjee lost the West Bengal Assembly elections to the BJP a month ago.
Ms. Banerjee said it was unprecedented that she was facing protests outside her home. She stressed that former Chief Ministers like Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee never had to deal with agitators at their homes after losing elections.
“The party of lumpens (referring to the BJP) wants me to die of a heart attack. But I will not die till I defeat you,” the 71-year-old TMC chairperson said.
Ms. Banerjee said that she would not abandon Trinamool Congress workers in their hour of trial and alleged that the police did not give permission to hold the demonstration at Rani Rashmoni Road on Tuesday.
Amidst talk of defections in the Trinamool Congress, Ms. Banerjee challenged her detractors over who among them would be making a “new Trinamool”.
“Those who were elected on the party symbol now seek to break the party because of their fear of the police: will they make a new Trinamool? Trinamool was formed from struggle and there can be no new Trinamool,” she said.
Signature forgery
After the expulsion of two TMC MLAs there has been speculation that more Trinamool MLAs may break away. The MLAs were expelled on Monday for making a complaint to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker that their signatures on a letter naming a choice for the Leader of Opposition was forged
“My regret is that those I supported are now aligning with traitors,” she said.
The Trinamool was reduced to 80 MLAs while the BJP won 208 seats in the 294-member State Assembly. With the expulsion the number of MLAs in the Trinamool fold has fallen to 78.
She spoke on the attack on party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on May 30 and the eviction of hawkers and razing of illegal structures and buildings.
“Eviction of hawkers without rehabilitation was not our government policy, we adopted a humane approach,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee was joined by party MP Kalyan Banerjee, Dola Sen and former Minister Dola Sen and MLA Kunal Ghosh among others. Trinamool Congress supporters had gathered at Esplanade and raised slogans in support of the party leader.
Country-wide action
Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ms. Banerjee said, “Look at whom you have given responsibility; what is happening to West Bengal?”
Ms. Banerjee expressed hope that a time would come when there would no longer be a BJP government at the Centre. “Very soon, all anti-BJP parties will meet in Delhi. Wait a while and we will announce our country-wide course of action,” the Trinamool Congress chairperson said, referring to the scheduled INDIA bloc meeting next week.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari claimed that only a small number of Trinamool leaders attended party chief Mamata Banerjee’s dharna in Kolkata over alleged post-poll violence against party workers
Speaking to reporters after offering prayers at the Tarakeswar temple in Hooghly district, Mr. Adhikari said the situation in the Trinamool is turning out to be dismal.
“Only three MPs and six MLAs turned up at Mamata Banerjee’s protest dharna. The TMC’s condition is so dismal. It resembles the Falta- repoll (where Trinamool finished fourth),” the Chief Minister said.
