West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi embarked on his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Manipur, the Trinamool Congress on Sunday said anyone can hold a political programme in West Bengal but one should remember that the anti-BJP fight is being waged by the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the state.
Gandhi's yatra, covering a distance of 6,713 km and 100 Lok Sabha constituencies, is scheduled to pass through the TMC-ruled West Bengal.
Asked about the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', TMC Spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said anyone can hold a political programme in the state as it upholds the democratic fabric.
"One should, however, remember that the anti-BJP fight is being waged by Trinamool Congress on the soil of West Bengal. It is the Trinamool Congress, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and generalship of Abhishek Banerjee, which proved that the BJP could be defeated in Bengal in 2021," Ghosh told reporters at a press conference here.
Gandhi commenced the Manipur-to-Maharashtra yatra with a rally at a private ground in Thoubal after offering tributes to martyrs of Manipur at the Khongjom War Memorial Complex.
The TMC spokesperson sought to remind that the Congress party in electoral alliance with the Left and the ISF had failed to win any seat in the 2021 assembly election in West Bengal.
The Congress, TMC and the CPI(M) are constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc which has been formed to give the BJP a concerted fight in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Alleging that the BJP does not walk for the cause and need of the people and has been trying to mislead people through religious propaganda, Ghosh said that leaders like Rahul Gandhi or TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who walked across West Bengal in his 'Nabajowar Yatra' in April 2023, stay among the masses.
"But one should also remember the baseline of the 2021 assembly elections in Bengal," he said.
Ghosh accused the BJP of using the name of Lord Ram for political gains with an eye on the elections.
He said a large number of people in the country pay respect and obeisance to Lord Ram.
"But the issue is using the name of Lord Ram by the BJP for political gains with an eye on the elections," the TMC spokesperson said.
He claimed that the BJP was trying to divert people's minds from the basic needs of 'roti, kapda aur makan' by using religion.
The TMC held a rally from Jadavpur to Garia on Sunday to protest against the 'anti-people policies' of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
"Our protest is also against the Centre's refusal to release funds due to the state and misusing CBI and ED," Ghosh said while leading the rally.