PANAJI
Congress’ constant dilly-dallying over the formation of alliances with other opposition parties of consequence will only end up making Prime Minister Narendra Modi more powerful, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress party founder Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday.
Mamata also lashed out at the criticism faced by her party over splitting the non-BJP vote by questioning as to whether only the Aam Aadmi Party had the licence to contest elections in states other than Delhi where it has a government.
“Modiji is going to be so powerful because of Congress. If one cannot take a decision why will the country suffer for that? They have got enough opportunities. Instead of BJP, they contested against me in my state,” Mamata said during the interaction.
“How they expect that they will contest me and we will only give flowers to them? And sweets to them? I want to see that all regional parties are strong. We are a union of states and the federal structure should be strong. If the state is strong the centre is strong. Delhi’s ‘dadagiri’ will not do,” she also said.
The West Bengal CM also strongly objected to the debate which has sparked over the TMC’s resurgent entry in Goa over whether parties from other regions in India should contest elections in other corners of the country.
“We always believe in pan-India. India is our motherland... Every regional language, every regional food, everything. Pan India is our vision and strengthening every regional party is our mission. And that’s why if we work together then everything is okay. I’m a Bengali so I cannot come to Goa? You are a Goan so you cannot come to Bengal? We don’t believe in this theory,” Mamata said.
“All the people who are Indian can go anywhere. They are Indian after all. We all have two identities, one that is the motherland that is India the first identity and where you are born and brought up that is your identity. You are Goan. First, your identity is that you are Goans then you are Indian also,” she added.
She also said that her party had set sight on states like Uttar Pradesh, Tripura and other north eastern states.
She also said that Goa was facing a plethora of issues because the ruling state leadership is just not up to the job.
“...Goa is facing problems, unemployment, problems with the fishing sector, taxi drivers, farmers, mining and the leadership is lagging behind and so is the mechanism. So that is why I think let us build up Goa so that it can stand on its own legs. Goa may be the beginning of the end to defeat the BJP rule,” she said.
She once again drew similarities between Goa and Bengal.
“Our similarity with Goa is the sea, our similarity is with football, is with fishing... Without Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting, Goa football where is the identity of football? Bengal is the identity, Goa is the identity,” she said.
Commenting on electoral forays being made by the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, Banerjee said: “What do you think that only Arvind Kejriwal will contest everywhere in this country and no other political party. I love him, I have no problem with that,” she said.
“It is not that everywhere only one political party will go and another cannot go. Did I stop him from going to Punjab? So why will they stop us from going to Goa?” she also said.
