Mamata Banerjee parries question on PM's post; seeks unity of regional parties to beat BJP

Speaking at a meeting with civil society members at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai on Wednesday, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee opined that regional parties can beat BJP easily if they come together. The West Bengal CM who is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra stressed that she is in favour of a strong federal structure. Pouring cold water on the possibility of a national alliance with Congress and the Left, Banerjee maintained that these parties were letting BJP go stronger. Sidestepping the question on whether she is in the race for the PM's post, she said, "I don't think who will be the Prime Minister is the battle right now. The battle is to wipe out BJP and bowl out them. Khela Hobe"!

Commenting on Congress and the Left parties, Mamata Banerjee remarked, "They cannot take the decision (of forging an alliance). They just waste time and allow BJP to be more and more powerful. And that is the TRP of BJP. We will not allow that. We are watching for 6-8 years. Till somebody is not coming out openly, then somebody has to bell the cat. I am a simple worker. But I want to see that BJP is out from this country politically. We are not contesting in UP. Why? Because we want that there should be no division (of votes). But if Congress is contesting against me in Bengal, can't I contest in Goa?" 

"If someone doesn't do anything and stays abroad half the time, how will you play politics? In politics, you have to make continuous endeavours. I am in favour of the federal structure. We want the federal structure to be strong. And it is better if all the regional parties work together. Regional parties build up the national parties. If all regional parties are together, it is a very easy game to defeat BJP," the WB CM added. 

Watch Mamata Banerjee's interaction here: 

TMC's gradual pan-India expansion

After a hard-fought election campaign, TMC sprung a surprise by decisively winning the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election by bagging 213 seats whereas BJP could win in only 77 constituencies. Buoyed by its third consecutive victory, TMC is mulling projecting Mamata Banerjee as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Making her national ambitions clear, Banerjee propagated the West Bengal model of governance in her Martyrs' Day rally speech on July 21.

Thereafter, she visited Delhi and met various opposition leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi. In an attempt to expand its base across the country, TMC has increased its political activities in Tripura and Goa aimed at emerging as an alternative to Congress. However, the party has riled Congress in the process by inducting many of its leaders such as Sushmita Dev, Abhijit Mukherjee, Kirti Azad, Ashok Tanwar and former Goa CM Luizinho Faleiro. Incensed by the growing political capital of the Mamata Banerjee-led party, Congress recently accused TMC of indirectly helping BJP by dividing the secular votes.