ISF chief takes potshots at Congress at mega rally for delaying seat-sharing talks

Making his displeasure clear at Congress for not accepting the demands of seats raised by his party, Indian Secular Front (ISF) chief Abbas Siddiqui on Sunday said that they wanted their share and would not appease anyone.

Siddiqui was addressing the mega rally of the Left Front, Congress and the ISF at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.

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“You may wonder that I asked you to vote for the Left Front candidates but did not say the same about the Congress. I want to make it clear that we are here for our share and not to appease anyone. Enough is enough,” said Siddiqui.

“We want the people from backward classes, tribals, Muslims to get their share,” he added.

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In a bid to send a message to Congress, Siddiqui said that their doors were open for anyone who wanted to be friends with them.

“If someone wants to be friends, our doors are open. Then in future Abbas Siddique will fight for them too,” he said.

Thanking the Left Front leadership for leaving 30 seats to the ISF for the Assembly elections, Siddiqui said that if the seat-sharing deal was finalised a week ago then he could have brought twice as many people to the rally.

Lashing out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Siddiqui dubbed her government as the “B team of the BJP “ and said that in the Assembly elections the ISF will turn her into a “ big zero.”

“Forgetting what happened in the past, we will support the Left Front candidates and uproot the BJP and it’s B team Mamata Banerjee Government from Bengal...I am challenging that in 2021 we will turn Mamata into a big zero,” said Siddiqui.

He said that the people of Bengal were “angry” with Mamata and can no longer tolerate her ‘corruption”, alleging that she used the state administration to suppress the people.

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“But there is no need to fear her anymore because the power is no longer in her hands but is with the Election Commission,” said Siddiqui.

Later in the day, he told reporters that “sources have told me that Sonia Gandhi was keen on the alliance but someone from Bengal was delaying it.”