Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the BJP for failing to unanimously select a presidential candidate. The Presidential election is due on July 18. She said this while taking part in the ISKCON Rath Yatra on Friday. Banerjee noted that she would have considered supporting Draupadi Murmu as the presidential candidate had she known about it.
The West Bengal CM admitted that she had talked with the BJP about the selection of a Presidential candidate and Draupadi Murmu's name was not discussed with her. "If the BJP had stated in advance that they were fielding an indigenous woman, we could have also thought of supporting her," Mamata said. "We have support for women. However, there is no difference between men and women in politics. We could have 16-17 political parties sitting together and making decisions in the larger interest. It would have been nice to have a consensus candidate," Mamata said.
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The issue of changing the decision has also come up. "When the BJP called us, they just wanted to know our suggestion. They did not tell us their suggestions. If we unanimously don't change our minds at the moment, it's not possible for me to change it alone," she said. "I want the presidential election to go smoothly. We will have equal respect for all religions and castes."
The Left Front and Congress reacted strongly to Mamata's statement. Adhir Chowdhury and Sujan Chakraborty alleged in unison that Mamata Banerjee was working to break the unity of the opposition. "Draupadi Murmu called Mamata Banerjee after she became a candidate. Didn't Mamata Banerjee realise then that she was a woman? There is no point in talking about these things now. I warned her long ago that Mamata Banerjee is not anti-Modi," Adhir Chowdhury told ETV Bharat.
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty attacked Mamata in the same manner, "The cat has come out of the bag. Mamata Banerjee's opposition to the BJP is not clear, it has been proven once again. She suffers from double standards. She wants to be everywhere," Chakraborty claimed.
