New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar in Mumbai and called for the opposition to unite to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while taking thinly veiled swipes at the Congress leadership.
Banerjee’s remarks like “there is no UPA now” and that nothing can be achieved by “staying abroad most of the time” were seen as targeting the Congress and the Gandhis.
Meanwhile, Pawar – whose NCP is in a coalition with the Congress in Maharashtra – said leadership was not an issue at present and all like-minded parties were welcome to join the fight against the BJP.
Before that, interacting with members of civil society, Banerjee claimed she had suggested to the Congress that an advisory council of prominent personalities from civil society be set up to give a direction to the opposition, but it was “in vain”.
If all “regional parties come together”, it would be easy to defeat the BJP, she said.
“We want to say BJP hatao, desh bachao (remove BJP, save the country),” she said, adding that her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party will not contest assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Banerjee is on a three-day visit to Mumbai that began on November 30. While her official programme is to invite industrialists to West Bengal’s business summit next year, she is also meeting leaders of the Shiv Sena and NCP.
The TMC has recently inducted several Congress leaders into its fold. Also, 12 out of 17 Congress MLAs in Meghalaya defected to the party – including former chief minister Mukul Sangma.
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To a query about if she would lead the opposition alliance against the BJP, Banerjee said she was a “small worker” and wants to continue to be so.
“Continuous endeavour is necessary in politics. You can’t be abroad most of the time,” she said, in a veiled dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Have faith in your cadre. Three farm laws were repealed [by the Union government] and a debate was not allowed in parliament. Why? Because they are afraid and the decision to repeal was made with an eye on the coming Uttar Pradesh elections,” she said.
Banerjee also slammed the BJP for alleged misuse of laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). “The UAPA is for internal security and protection from external forces. This is not for common people. The UAPA is being misused like anything. The I-T department, CBI, ED are also being misused,” she said.
Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Pawar said, “All those opposed to the BJP are welcome to join us.”
“There is no question of excluding anyone,” he said when asked if an alliance without the Congress was on the cards.
“We discussed the prevailing situation and the need for all like-minded parties to come together and provide a strong alternative to the BJP,” the NCP chief said.
“We have to provide a collective leadership platform and a strong alternative to BJP. There is no issue of leadership as such now. It is a secondary issue,” he added.
When asked if she wanted Pawar to be the chairperson of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Banerjee, who was accompanied by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, said, “Three is no UPA now.”
Meets civil society leaders
Earlier, during the meeting with civil society members, Banerjee also mentioned the “victimisation” of prominent Bollywood personalities such as Shah Rukh Khan.
Noted lyricist Javed Akhtar, film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, social activist Medha Patkar, actor Richa Chadha and stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui were among those who participated in the interaction.
“Unity in diversity is our origin. India loves manpower and not muscle power. We are facing a cruel, unethical and undemocratic attitude,” she said.
To a question, Banerjee said the TMC will not allow the BJP to grow in the states where the Congress “is not fighting”. “You have to be on the field to defeat the BJP,” she said.
“I know Mahesh Bhatt is victimised, Shah Rukh (Khan) is victimised. There are many more,” Banerjee added.
Mahesh Bhatt, Javed Akhtar and Mamata Banerjee. Photo: Twitter/@AITCOfficial
On Tuesday, Banerjee had met Shiv Sena leaders Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut. She wanted to meet Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray too but could not as he is recuperating after spine surgery, Sena sources said.
The state BJP, meanwhile, said it suspected that the Shiv Sena, which heads the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, was helping Banerjee “divert investment to her state”.
BJP MLA Ashish Shelar questioned why no official statement regarding the discussions between Banerjee and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray was issued.