New Delhi: Days after Opposition parties vowed unity to fight against BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, fissures emerged in the camp.
The Communist Part of India (CPI-Marxist) on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal for running "autocratic rule of law."
"We are against all those parties who try to suppress democracy. The BJP at the Centre, and TMC in West Bengal are two examples. We will fight against divisive forces," said CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury in New Delhi. He accused TMC of killing CPM workers and muzzling democracy. "In the run-up to the Panchayat election in West Bengal, 10 people have been killed so far. CPM leader Manjur Alam died in the violence," said Yechury. He also raised concern over the ongoing violence in the state. He said, "The politics of terror of 2018 is being repeated now."
Yechury's statement assumes significance just days after the Patna convention where 15 Opposition parties including Congress, CPM, TMC, JDU and some other parties took part. At the Patna meet, all the opposition parties including TMC spoke of a consensus to fight against the BJP government.
"We are united and will fight together. Our objective is to fight against this fascist (BJP) government," TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said at the event. All the opposition parties are scheduled to meet in Shimla next month to chalk out their future course of action. Yechury, who was talking to the reporters at the end of two-day politburo meeting of CPM, however, said as of now, the opposition parties are united.
"The issue of West Bengal will be dealt with by our state unit. But as far as the fight against BJP is concerned, we are united," he said. Referring to the Aam Admi Party (AAP's) protest against Congress after the latter denied not to support the Delhi government in its fight against the Centre's Ordinance, Yechury said that all the opposition parties voiced against such an ordinance in the Patna convention.
"In due course, everything will be clear as far as opposition unity is concerned," Yechury said. Earlier, BJP president JP Nadda claimed that Patna meet of the opposition parties was merely a photo session. "There was a meeting of the proposed grand alliance recently in Patna which was a mere photo session. On the one hand, Modi Ji accelerated the development, and on the other hand, he ended dynastic politics," said Nadda.
Talking to this correspondent, BJP MP Rajdeep Roy said that the Opposition parties will end up fighting amongst themselves. "It's nothing only jumla of some parties. They will never have consensus," said Roy. However, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, " We may have differences but when it's fighting against BJP, we are united."
