Congress appears to be serious about fighting BJP at Centre, not in West Bengal: TMC

TMC also claimed that no state CPI(M) leaders were seen speaking out against the BJP.

While the Congress appears to be serious about fighting the BJP at the Centre, its West Bengal unit president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was never seen uttering a single word against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed on Sunday.

Addressing a rally for the panchayat elections at Sujapur in Malda district, he said neither Chowdhury nor any leader of the state Congress has stood by the poor people of West Bengal who have been deprived of work as the Centre stopped MGNREGA funds.

"While top Congress leader like Rahul Gandhi engages in discussion with our leader Mamata Banerjee to strengthen the battle against BJP, we wonder what is the role of the state Congress chief who has never been seen uttering a single word against Amit Shah or Narendra Modi," he said.

Also Read | TMC worker killed, several others injured in rural poll violence in Bengal

"His (Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury) only intent seems to weaken the party led by Mamata Banerjee, who protects the interest of the people of Bengal. He gets security cover from Amit Shah's Home Ministry as he does not have faith in West Bengal Police," Banerjee said.

He also claimed that no state CPI(M) leaders were seen speaking out against the BJP.

"Have you ever seen Md Salim, Biman Bose and Sujan Chakraborty uttering a single word against the BJP's hate agenda? They lack the guts. Only TMC has the guts to take on the BJP," he claimed.

Responding to the statement, Chowdhury alleged that the TMC has a secret understanding with the BJP.

"By opposing Congress in many states, CM Mamata Banerjee and her party weakened the anti-BJP alliance of secular and democratic parties, besides helping the BJP grow in West Bengal," he claimed.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said the West Bengal chief minister's role in the fight against BJP is not above suspicion.

BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya alleged the funds of MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana were not reaching the beneficiaries in West Bengal and were being siphoned off by TMC leaders, so it was stopped by the Centre.

"Everyone knows TMC means corruption. However hard Abhishek Banerjee or any other TMC leader may try, they cannot remove the stains. People of West Bengal have rejected the TMC," he added.

Rural West Bengal will vote in the panchayat polls on July 8.