'Irresponsible and condemnable': Congress hits back at Mamata for her allegation against party, Stalin

Targeting alliance partners without facts and casting doubts on institutions is not leadership — it is a distraction, says Manickam Tagore

New Delhi: Exposing more chinks in the Opposition in this election season, senior Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Tuesday hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her attack on his party and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin accusing them of having links with the BJP, recalling the Trinamool Congress' alliance with the saffron party.

Tagore's remarks came a day after Mamata alleged that the BJP had entered into a "tacit understanding" with the Congress and Stalin, also the DMK chief, claiming that many IAS and IPS officers from West Bengal had been sent to the southern State as poll observers hampering the development work in her State.

Incidentally in Kerala, I.N.D.I.A. partners Congress and CPI(M) are at each other's throats, with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accusing the Left party and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of having a "deal" with the BJP. The CPI(M) had also accused the Congress of playing to the tunes of the BJP.

Calling Mamata's remarks "highly irresponsible and condemnable", he said, "baseless allegations will only weaken the unity of the Opposition" at a time when all must unite and fight against the BJP.

The Trinamool Congress and the Congress are fighting against each other in the West Bengal Assembly elections.

Tagore, the Congress Lok Sabha Whip, said it seems like Mamata had lost her balance as she was making accusations without any evidence. "It should not be forgotten that in 1998 and 1999, it was not the Congress but the Trinamool Congress that was in alliance with the BJP, and that in the 2004 elections it contested in alignment with the RSS-BJP alliance," he said.

"Targeting alliance partners without facts and casting doubts on institutions is not leadership — it is a distraction," he said while insisting that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had consistently stood against the ideology of the RSS and the BJP.

He said Rahul faces more than 25 cases, was disqualified as an MP and had to vacate his official residence, which is the price he paid for standing against the RSS-BJP. "The Congress does not need lessons from anyone on how to fight the BJP. This is not the time for irresponsible accusations. This is the time for unity, responsibility, and clarity of purpose," he said.