Bengal opposition parties ridicule Mamata's call to remove BJP from power

Kolkata :  Ridiculing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's call for removing it to save the country, the BJP on Saturday asked her to "stop dreaming about capturing power in Delhi" and doubted whether she would be able to retain power in the state.

"She should stop dreaming about capturing power in Delhi as her ambitions will never be fulfilled. Let alone harbouring hopes of becoming the Prime Minister, I doubt whether she will be able to retain power in Bengal," BJP General Secretary Rahul Sinha said after Banerjee's address at her party's Martyr's Day rally here.

Banerjee had exuded confidence of bagging all the 42 Lok Sabha seats from the state in next year's general elections.

"She should forget about the 42 Lok Sabha seats. The way nearly 42 percent people were not allowed to vote during state rural polls and 34 percent of the panchayat seats went uncontested, it was nothing less than murder of democracy. The whole country knows about it. So people of Bengal will not join hands with Mamata," Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh retorted.

Echoing the BJP, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sujan Chakraborty said Banerjee and her party will be in a soup if people of the state get a chance to exercise their democratic rights properly.

"The way they (Trinamool) behaved during the Panchayat polls, they can win 46 (forty six) out of 42 seats here if that continues," he said mockingly

"But if people get the chance to exercise their rights, she would be in a soup. That's why they are scared. They are not ready to protect people's democratic rights," he alleged.

During her speech on Saturday Banerjee announced she will bring several heavyweight leaders from across the country including those of the Federal Front for a public rally here on January 19 to give a call to remove the BJP from power.

Referring to her announcement, state Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury said the Trinamool supremo was indirectly helping out the BJP by stressing on the Federal Front while neglecting the anti-BJP grand alliance ('Maha Gatbandhan') that has already been formed in seven states.

"While the 'Maha Gathbandhan' has already taken shape in seven states under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, she is neglecting it and highlighting the Federal Front instead.

"This shows she is indirectly helping BJP and not letting the opposition forces to unite against it," Chowdhury claimed.

The Congress leader alleged that Banerjee and her administration was following a carrot and stick policy with the state Congress leaders, forcing many of them to switch over to her party.

Four state Congress legislators - Samar Mukherjee, Abu Taher, Sabina Yasmin and Akhruzzman - joined the Trinamool on Saturday.

"She is forcing our leaders to either join her party or threatening to put them in prison in false cases. Senior state police officers are threatening our leaders to switch to Trinamool. Otherwise, their family members would be sent to jail in drug trafficking cases. That's why the Congress is eroding. Some of our leaders are not able to stand up to that pressure," he added.