Mamata Banerjee finest suited to steer opposition, Congress busy with infighting: Ripun Bora

By PTI

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is finest suited to steer the opposition entrance within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, whereas a bit of Congress leaders is extra all in favour of preventing amongst themselves as an alternative of taking over the BJP, Trinamool Congress chief Ripun Bora claimed on Tuesday.

Bora, the previous president of Congress’ Assam unit who joined the TMC on Sunday, alleged that a number of leaders of the Congress have been working in connivance with the BJP within the Northeastern state.

“The BJP is a threat to Constitution, democracy, and moreover to our country’s economy,” he informed PTI in an interview.

“The Congress being the grand old party, should have led the fight against the BJP. But unfortunately, its leaders in various states are fighting against each other rather than fighting the BJP,” he mentioned.

Bora, who took over because the chief of the Assam Congress in 2016, claimed that he was capable of carry the social gathering to a place the place folks anticipated it to type the federal government within the state within the 2021 meeting elections.

However, “people lost faith in us” because of infighting, he mentioned.

“I was Assam Congress president from 2016 to 2021. I tried my best to bring back the party to power. But a section of senior leaders was fighting in such a way among themselves that the people got demoralised. I tried my best by forming a grand alliance. Presently there is no opposition in Assam,” he mentioned.

Bora, a Congress member since his scholar days in 1976, mentioned he joined the TMC because it was ideologically the identical because the Congress.

“The difference lies only in the approach of fighting the BJP,” he mentioned.

“The way the TMC led by Mamata Banerjee aggressively fought the BJP has been lauded across the country,” he mentioned.

Bora mentioned he left the Congress as he didn’t wish to waste his power within the social gathering.

“I no longer wanted to waste my energy in Congress which in Assam is least interested in fighting the BJP. I have joined the TMC to build a strong opposition against the BJP in Assam,” he mentioned, including that he didn’t change camps to get a Rajya Sabha berth.

Noting that he nonetheless has immense respect for Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior chief Rahul Gandhi, Bora mentioned that within the current political scenario, Mamata Banerjee is finest suited to steer the opposition towards the BJP.

“It is not that Rahul Gandhi did not fight against the BJP, he did fight, but it did not have the desired impact. Mamata Banerjee too fought and had a massive impact. I think more than Congress or Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee is most accepted and best suited to lead the opposition front against the BJP,” he mentioned.

He mentioned that regardless of elevating the problems of infighting within the Assam Congress with the central management, no motion was taken.

Bora joined the TMC days after he misplaced the Rajya Sabha election in Assam amid cross-voting.