Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has written to all non-BJP chief ministers and opposition parties, including the Congress which her party had been attacking recently. Mamata Banerjee has called on all ‘progressive forces’ to come together and put up a united fight against the ‘oppressive BJP regime’.
The West Bengal chief minister called for a meeting to discuss strategies to take on the saffron party and also commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition that will make way for the ‘government that the country deserves’.
Banerjee slammed the BJP-led Centre’s alleged vindictive politics. She iterated that the democratic fabric of India was being attacked with the use of agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to ‘harass and corner political opponents’.
“I urge everyone to come together for a meeting to deliberate on the way forward at a place as per everyone’s convenience and suitability. Let us commit to the cause of a unified and principled opposition that will make way for the government that our country deserves,” the letter dated March 27 said. It was shared with the media on Tuesday morning.
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The BJP, however, claimed that the TMC’s national ambitions have fallen flat. It asserted that the Congress in West Bengal lacks credibility in fighting the saffron party.
In her letter, Banerjee also alleged that the Delhi Special Police (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the CVC (Amendment) Bill, 2021 were passed in the Parliament during the Winter Session amidst walk out by the opposition.
“These laws enable the Centre to extend the tenure of the directors of ED and CBI up to five years in blatant violation of a previous Supreme Court judgment,” Banerjee wrote in the letter.
Alleging that the central agencies ‘jolt to action’ whenever elections are around the corner, she urged the parties to resist the BJP’s intention to misuse the agencies to suppress the opposition.
“It is amply clear that the opposition is being targeted, and the BJP-ruled states get a free pass from these agencies so that a rosy picture of their hollow governance can be painted,” the letter stated.
Banerjee also alleged that the BJP is attempting to influence the judiciary. “Time and again, the BJP is trying to attack the federal structure of the country by attempting to influence a certain section of the judiciary,” she said.
Odisha Chief Minister who is currently in Delhi was asked about Banerjee’s letter and a joint opposition against the BJP. Patnaik said he is yet to receive the letter, but was quick to add that ‘his government is interested in the development of Odisha’.