TMC to stop steamrolling non-BJP opposition in Bengal

Acting upon poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s suggestion the Trinamool Congress( TMC) leadership has decided to gradually do away with the tactics of steamrolling the non-BJP opposition parties in the state through engineering defection.

According to TMC sources it came up in the review of the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections that BJP’s gain in the state was mainly due to the weakened condition of other opposition such as the Left Front and Congress.

“BJP was able to unite all the anti-TMC votes in West Bengal because of the decline of other opposition parties. Along with it the factor of communal polarisation by them resulted in BJP winning 18 seats here,” a senior TMC leader said.

TMC sources further revealed that during the review of the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections and surveys conducted by Kishor’s team it came up that in eight Lok Sabha seats TMC’s victory can be attributed to the Left Front’s retaining its vote share.

Ever since coming to power in 2011 TMC has allegedly started engineering defection in Congress and Left Front. Not only did the ruling party in West Bengal roped in MLAs from the opposition parties but also managed to induct a large number of ground level cadres. In the last Panchayat elections also the TMC leadership gave a call to workers to ensure that opposition parties do not get any seat.

Left Front and Congress leaders have repeatedly accused TMC of using money and muscle power along with police to force opposition party workers to switch sides.

“ It has come to the notice of the party leadership that BJP’s rise in Bengal has resulted mainly from the weakening of the non-BJP opposition in the state. At a recent meeting Kishor told us that without a strong opposition one can not asses his own strength,” the TMC leader said.

There has also been significant change recently in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s attitude towards the Left Front and Congress. Not only has she urged the two sides to coordinate with TMC against BJP on national issues but has also stepped in to resolve a land issue regarding a research centre in Rajarhat area in the name of CPI(M) stalwart and former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.