Trinamool to fight alone against Congress, BJP and CPI(M): Mamata Banerjee

Jamalpur/Balagarh: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the party will fight the ongoing Lok Sabha polls alone and would emerge the third largest party.

"Trinamool Congress will emerge the third largest party and play a pivotal role in the formation of the government," Banerjee told election rallies in Jamalpur and Balagarh in West Bengal today. Alleging that Congress, BJP and CPI-M had entered into a `tacit pact`, she urged the people not to vote for them. "Trinamool will fight it alone and taste victory," she told an election rally at Jamalpur. Tearing into Congress, she said it has no ideology, perpetrated loot and corruption and oppressed regional parties. "Please keep faith on Trinamool and we will show how to traverse the path of progress and development". At Balagarh she slammed the UPA government at the centre for `depriving` the state financially and urged the people not to vote for Congress. "Do not give a single vote to Congress. They have put the country into shambles and tried to starve Bengal economically. After the elections it will snatch our rights." Claiming that her government would have generated 20 lakh jobs had the Centre not deducted Rs 87,000 crore in the past three years for the debt of the previous Left Front government, Banerjee said "We do not want to beg. I have never bowed before CPI(M), Congress and BJP and would not do so in future. "It is not Gujarat but Bengal which is a model for development in the entire country. In the coming days Bengal will show the path to the entire country", she said. Alleging that there was a collusion between Congress at the centre and the erstwhile Left Front government in the state, Banerjee said while the latter went on a loan spree to ruin the state financially, the central government allowed them. "CPI(M) is asking (the centre) not to give money to us (West Bengal) ... It will not be forgiven by the people of Bengal in the next 30 years for ruining the state and torturing the people." Alleging that there was a conspiracy by the Congress, BJP and CPI(M) and a section of the media against her government and TMC, Banerjee said canards were being spread. In an apparent reference to complaints made by CPI(M) to the Election Commission, she said "They rigged the elections when they were in power. Now they are lodging complaints. It was during the Left Front rule that 55,000 people were killed in 34 years." Banerjee also came down heavily on BJP, which she alleged caused riots. Sending out a stern message to BJP for seeking Gorkha Janamukti Morcha`s (GJM) support in Darjeeling, the chief minister said she was against any division of the state and any attempt to do so in the name of smaller state. "Under no circumstance we will allow division of Bengal," she asserted. "Attempts are being made to incite the people (of Darjeeling). But Darjeeling is smiling and so is Junglemahal (tribal areas of south Bengal)," she said adding TMC candidate Baichung Bhutia will win the Darjeeling seat. Pro-Gorkhaland GJM is backing BJP candidate S S Ahluwalia for Darjeeling seat.