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Updated February 7th, 2021 at 11:16 IST

Congress adds warning to ISF courtship for Bengal polls; 'BJP & TMC communal; avoid AIMIM'

Congress will not forge an alliance with the ISF to fight the West Bengal Assembly polls if the latter joins hands with Asaduddin Owaidi-led AIMIM, said Mannan

Reported by: Gloria Methri
West Bengal Congress
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Congress will not forge an alliance with the Indian Secular Front (ISF) to fight the West Bengal Assembly elections if the latter joins hands with Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, said Congress leader Abdul Mannan on Saturday.

Speaking to ANI, the Leader of the Opposition stated that secular parties need to join hands in West Bengal to fight the "communal BJP and TMC" from ruling the state. He however stated that Congress would not forge an alliance with ISF if it joins hands with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) party. 

"We all know BJP and TMC are the same and both are communal. To stop them we need to join hands with secular parties. However, if ISF forges an alliance with the AIMIM, we will not go further with the alliance and I have conveyed this to them," said Abdul Mannan. 

READ | West Bengal Polls: Congress, Left To Discuss Seat-sharing In Kolkata On Feb 7

READ | Congress WB LoP Asks Sonia Gandhi To Ally With Cleric's Party; Worried About Minority Vote

Congress leader proposes grand alliance in Bengal

The statement comes a day after Mannan wrote a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi proposing the formation of a grand alliance in Bengal in order to target more seats. He had contended that the addition of ISF in the Left-Congress alliance may be a "game-changer" in ensuing the polls. 

"Amidst the dialogue process with the Left Front on the electoral alliance, I would like to add a possibility of a grand alliance in Bengal to target more winnable seats," Mannan wrote to Sonia.

"You are aware that the Congress Party in West Bengal stood for the minorities for many years. ISF leader Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui who belongs to the eminent religious family of Furfura Sharif, Hooghly, is popular for his oratory skills not only among Muslims but also among Dalits and Tribals," he added.

Pirzada Abbas, the founder of Furfura Sharif Ahale Sunnatul Jamat, launched a separate political party, the Indian Secular Front,  in Kolkata last month. Speculations about ISF forging an alliance with AIMIM arose after Siddique met Owaisi in January. 

West Bengal assembly with 294 seats will go to polls in April-May 2021.

READ | Owaisi Lashes Out At Congress For 'BJP's B Team' Jibe, Says 'it Is A Band Baaja Party'

READ | TMC Copycat Of Left Rule In West Bengal Except For The Fact It Scaled Up Corruption: Harsh Vardhan

(With inputs from agency)

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Published February 7th, 2021 at 11:15 IST

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