Mamata Banerjee: Will support SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in UP... we have to chase BJP away

The West Bengal CM said that TMC will contest from Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha polls, 2024. She added, "I am going to follow the footsteps of Rabindranath Tagore - Ekla Cholo Re (Let's go ahead alone). We have to fight."

Pic courtesy: ANI

Kolkata: On Wednesday (February 2), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was re-elected as the TMC chairperson. The ruling Trinamool Congress held its organisational elections after a gap of five years. According to TMC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, Banerjee was declared elected without a contest as no other leader entered the fray.

Meanwhile, addressing the media, the Bengal CM spoke about her election plans. Mamata confirmed that she will support Samajwadi President Akhilesh Yadav. "In Uttar Pradesh, I am not going to contest Assembly polls, but I am going to support SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on February 8, 2022. We (TMC) will contest from UP in Lok Sabha polls (in 2024)," said Mamata.

Talking about other states, Mamata said that "earlier people would associate TMC with West Bengal. Now, we have expanded the party and are spreading to other parts of the country". The CM added, "I have built my unit in Goa; in Tripura my vote percentage is over 20%. We've to make Bengal stronger in the next two years so that we get all 42 seats (in 2024 LS polls); we have to chase BJP away. Uniformity will be there in TMC. We will conduct my first working Committee meeting in Delhi."

Mamata attacked the Centre from all angle - be it the awarding of the Padma prizes or the Union Budget 2022. "I want to tell all, strengthen the party. We will oust BJP from the country.  If we can oust Left from West Bengal after 34 years, we will be able to oust BJP too," she said, adding, "I am sad that Congress works at the behest of BJP in Meghalaya and Punjab. Congress ko ahankaar hain.  I am going to follow the footsteps of Rabindranath Tagore - Ekla Cholo Re (Let's go ahead alone). We have to fight."

Mamata Banerjee had founded the TMC in 1998 after breaking away from the Congress, and has headed it ever since. After two unsuccessful attempts at the hustings in the 2001 and 2006 assembly polls, the party came to power in 2011, defeating the mighty Left Front regime, riding the crest of massive public outrage against the Communists. It stormed to power for the third consecutive term in May last year after bagging 213 out of the 294 seats in the state assembly. 

She dismissed the Padma honours saying, "Padham Bhushan and Padma Shri are now dushan (pollution)." She also criticised the Budget and said, if people (Opposition) protest, BJP gets down to snooping on them.

(With inputs from Agency and Pooja Mehta)