Adhir Ranjan says ‘Don’t trust Mamata Banerjee after her ‘still part of INDIA’ statement

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday once again brought up the issue of joining the INDIA alliance government, if it manages to come to power at the Centre, after the General Elections. This time however, she said that her party will join the government. This stance is completely different from, in fact, the exact opposite of what she had said earlier.

Helped form INDIA coalition: Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee speaking at a rally in West Bengal on Thursday said that she had helped form the INDIA coalition. Expressing confidence of the win of the alliance in the Lok Sabha Elections, 2024, she said, “We will form the next government as part of the coalition.”

She added that her party has been and will be a part of the INDIA coalition in future also. She also said that the TMC was part of the INDIA alliance in West Bengal and accused the local party leadership of CPIM and the local Congress of forming a separate alliance for fighting the Lok Sabha Elections, in West Bengal. She said, “They have their own arrangement.” She concluded by saying that she had helped form the INDIA coalition and was very much part of it.

The statements coming from the Bengal leader are completely different from what she had said a day earlier. On Wednesday speaking at another political event in the state, she had said that the Trinamool Congress will “provide outside support” to the government, in case the INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre.

She had said that her party would provide outside support to the INDIA alliance and help them win in every way from outside. Expressing confidence at the Opposition alliance winning the Lok Sabha Elections, she predicted that the BJP would lose power once votes are cast for the first 4 phases of elections. This change in stance of Mamata however comes as a surprise.

Adhir Ranjan Choudhary’s reaction to Mamata Banerjee’s statement

Congress leader and party’s candidate from Baharampur seat Adhir Ranjan Choudhary on Thursday reacted to Mamata Banerjee’s earlier statement of supporting INDIA alliance government from outside. Talking to reporters he said, “I don’t trust her. She left the alliance. She can also go towards the BJP. What she will do from outside (the alliance) or inside. I don’t know.”

He also said that if Mamata Banerjee had any complaints (about the bloc) she should have raised it earlier, when it was created. He claimed that Banerjee had made a U-turn regarding outside support to the INDIA bloc, after realising that the BJP might be defeated in the Lok Sabha Elections. He claimed that the Bengal CM realised this after the first 4 phases of elections.