Congress, CPI(M) hesitant to join Anti-BJP alliance: Mamata Banerjee

Both Congress and the CPI(M) have hit back at Mamata Banerjee.

After a recent opposition meeting in Patna, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the CPI(M) and Congress for hindering her efforts to form a grand opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre by playing second fiddle to the saffron camp in the state.

At a crucial meeting on Friday, opposition parties pledged to unite and take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the AAP expressed its reservations about participating in any future gatherings unless the Congress publicly supports it on the issue of ordinances. Despite this, opposition parties continued to draw battle lines against the ruling party.

Over 32 leaders, including Banerjee, of more than a dozen political parties, had attended the meeting hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna.

"We are trying to form a grand alliance (Mahajot) against the BJP at the Centre. But the CPI(M) and Congress are trying to work with the BJP in Bengal. I will break this unholy nexus in Bengal," the TMC supremo said while addressing a panchayat election rally here on Monday.

This is for the second time in the last ten days that Mamata Banerjee has criticized the Congress and CPI(M) for having a tacit understanding with the BJP.

Reacting to Banerjee's claim, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the "credibility of the TMC in the fight against the BJP was always under a question mark".

"We all know the role that TMC had played in all these years in the fight against the BJP." Echoing Mr Chowdhury, the CPI(M) said Ms Banerjee should be the last person to lecture the Communists and the Congress on ways to fight against the BJP.

Meanwhile, the BJP rubbished the allegations of having any form of understanding with the CPI(M) and the Congress in the state.

"The CPI (M), Congress, and the TMC are in the same boat. It is the BJP which is fighting against the anti-people policies of the state government," BJP leader Rahul Sinha said.