The Congress party has accused the Trinamool Congress of having a deal with the BJP to “defame the image of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress”. This comes after TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to divert attention from real issues by portraying Rahul Gandhi as a hero.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Mamata Banerjee is speaking on the directions of the PM. PM and ‘didi’ have a deal to defame the image of Rahul Gandhi and Congress. She wants to save herself from ED-CBI raids that’s why she is against Congress and with this PM will be happy.”
Mamata Banerejee while addressing party workers in Murshidabad on Sunday had said: “BJP is trying to make a hero out of Rahul Gandhi so that no one questions PM Modi. The BJP is trying to divert attention from the burning issues by stalling the parliament proceedings over Rahul Gandhi recent remarks in the UK.”
She also said that Rahul Gandhi was PM Modi’s “biggest TRP” and that BJP wants Gandhi to be the leader of the opposition.
Congress and other opposition parties have been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into allegations of fraud and stock manipulation in Adani group companies, a demand the government has not paid heed to.
On the other hand, the BJP has been demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi for defaming India by stating in UK that the Indian democracy is under threat. Also, the Delhi police issued notices to Rahul Gandhi demanding details on his allegations of sexual assault in Jammu and Kashmir.
These actions, the Congress said, was the Centre’s way of diverting the attention from Adani issue.
While the Trinamool has not been seen joining the Congress-led opposition protests, its MPs Mahua Moitra and Derek O’Brien have raised the Adani issue separately in Parliament and on social media. The Trinamool has also sought a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the issue as against the Congress’s JPC.
The Trinamool has also been working with regional parties to forge a federal front without the Congress. It has
Derek O’Brien has said that the Congress can’t call itself the ‘Big Boss’ of the opposition and cited its electoral failures and internal rivalries as a problem. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury hit back saying that the Trinamool was created out of Congress.
"Mamata Banerjee was created by Congress. The TMC Mamata created became a party of thieves. Her creation has become poisonous. And she says all such things? Congress created Mamata. History cannot be forgotten," he said.
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First Published: Mar 21, 2023 4:11 PM IST
