Raising political decibels amid Assembly polls in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of “working for the BJP,” escalating tensions a week after the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly enabling the BJP’s rise in the state through “polarising” politics.
Sharpening his attack, Ghosh said Gandhi had failed in his responsibility to counter the BJP in several key states and was now indirectly helping the party in West Bengal.
“Rahul Gandhi is cheating. It was his responsibility to stop the BJP in Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Bihar. But he could not do it. Where the TMC is defeating them, he is coming here to help create an advantage for the BJP and is working for them,” he said.
Ghosh’s remarks came in response to Gandhi’s recent speech in which he targeted both the TMC and the BJP, alleging corruption and electoral malpractice.
“The entire Bengal knows that TMC people are involved in corruption. Prime Minister Modi, the RSS and the BJP never snatched Mamata Didi’s house because these people know that the real fight is not with the TMC, but the real fight is with the Congress party. BJP people steal votes. They have won elections in Maharashtra and Haryana by stealing votes,” Gandhi had said.
He further added, “Corruption of the BJP and TMC has devastated West Bengal. Today, the youth of the state are distressed, and women are unsafe. That is why the people are ready for change”.
Countering these allegations, Ghosh asserted that public support for Banerjee remained strong across the state and accused the BJP of pursuing an “anti-Bengal policy”.
He argued, “There is a wave across Bengal in support of Mamata didi. BJP has an anti-Bengal policy. The higher the vote percentage, the more decisive Mamata didi’s return to power would be”.
Referring to recent clashes between TMC and BJP supporters in Bhabanipur, he added, “They are doing this out of frustration. They know that they are losing in West Bengal and losing Bhabanipur too”.
Before Kunal Ghosh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju weighed in, pointing out what he described as contradictions in Rahul Gandhi’s remarks.
Rijiju questioned how Gandhi could simultaneously claim that the Congress would defeat the BJP in West Bengal while blaming the TMC for enabling the BJP’s growth.
“Bewildering! On one hand, Rahul Gandhi is saying only the Congress can defeat the BJP in West Bengal and on the other hand, he’s saying, due to the TMC’s polarising politics, the BJP will win the West Bengal election!” he said, taking a jibe at the Congress leader’s stance.
The developments come amid an intense electoral battle in the state, with a record voter turnout of nearly 93 percent in the first phase and heightened political rhetoric.
As campaigning peaks ahead of the next phase of polling, confrontations between rival parties and sharp exchanges among leaders continue to dominate the political landscape, setting the stage for a closely watched outcome when votes are counted.
West Bengal will vote in the second and the final phase of Assembly elections on April 29, with the results for the 294 seats of the state to be announced on May 4.
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