Stop poaching leaders if you want alliance: Congress to TMC

Ramesh's remarks came a day after Gandhi attacked the TMC alleging it was helping BJP in Meghalaya

A day after Rahul Gandhi's scathing criticism of the TMC, the Congress launched another attack on Thursday, saying if the Mamata Banerjee-led party is so serious about working together then it must stop poaching leaders. The Congress also asserted that for forming an Opposition alliance, it is imperative that all constituent parties clearly raise their voice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intentions and policies without any fear, compromise or hesitation.

Addressing a press conference ahead of the Congress' 85th plenary session, general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Congress is the only party that is strongly raising the voice against the prime minister and his government. Responding to a question on the Trinamool Congress' attack on the Congress following Gandhi's remarks, Ramesh rejected the claims and said the Congress is fighting the BJP strongly in Tripura. He said the BJP is the main enemy for the Congress-Left alliance in Tripura.

"On the contrary, it is the TMC that has given every indication of being soft towards the BJP. I hope you know what has happened in the last 24 hours in a bye-election in West Bengal, systematic efforts have been made by the ruling government in West Bengal to discredit and get the Congress candidate disqualified because he is in a very strong winning position," Ramesh claimed.

"To say that we are playing with the BJP in Tripura is absolutely (wrong). I would like to ask which is the only political party which opposed having a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani matter. All political parties were united in the matter but which was the only political party which did not want a JPC. That should tell you everything," he said in response to a question.

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Asked about the TMC questioning the Congress' ability to defeat the BJP, Ramesh said his party is fighting the TMC in Tripura as well as in Meghalaya. "Although the TMC in Meghalaya is nothing but people who have left the Congress and joined the TMC. So, if the TMC is so serious about working with the Congress it should stop poaching on the Congress," he said.

The TMC tried to do it in Goa but failed miserably and will always fail in attempts to poach going forward, Ramesh said. Talking about opposition unity, he Ramesh said it would be strengthened when the Congress becomes strong. He said for an alliance for 2024 there was a need for a positive common programme. "Alliance cannot be formed over negative agenda. There must be a common programme and more discussions are required," the Congress leader said.

He however, said the focus was on assembly polls in states such as Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh and Karnataka where the Congress is in direct fight with the BJP and the 2024 contest will come after that. Opposition unity is important for 2024 and its time will come later, Ramesh added. "We believe that if an alliance is formed all constituent parties have to clearly raise their voice against the prime minister's intentions and policies without any fear, compromise or hesitation," he said.

Ramesh's remarks came a day after Gandhi attacked the TMC alleging it was fighting elections in Meghalaya to ensure the BJP comes to power in the state, drawing a sharp reaction from Banerjee's party. The remarks by Gandhi at his first election rally in Shillong came against the backdrop of the latest comments by Congress president Malikarjun Kharge that his party was in talks with other opposition parties and would lead an alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to come to power at the Centre.

Slamming the TMC, Gandhi had raised the incidents of "violence and scams" in West Bengal where it is in power. "You know the history of the TMC -- the violence and scams that take place in West Bengal. You are aware of their tradition. They spent a huge amount of money in Goa (polls) and the idea was to help the BJP. That is exactly the idea in Meghalaya. The TMC's idea in Meghalaya is to ensure that the BJP is strengthened and come to power," he claimed.

Assembly elections in Meghalaya are due to be held on February 27. Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee hit back at Gandhi, saying the "irrelevance and incompetence" of the Congress had put them in a state of delirium. Abhishek Banerjee, who is the TMC's national general secretary, said the Gandhi scion must revisit the politics of vanity instead of attacking Bengal's ruling party.