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Regional parties have to come together to defeat BJP in 2019: Mamata
April 21, 2017
Accusing the BJP of dividing the people based
on religious identities , West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on
Friday urged all regional parties to come together for the sake of the
nation while stating it is the 'need of the hour'.
Addressing her
party workers in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress chief said Hinduism
means tolerance but the saffron party is dividing the people based on
religious identities.
"It is the need of the hour for all
regional parties to come together for the sake of the nation. The BJP is
dividing the people on religious backgrounds. We respect all religions
but Hinduism is our biggest identity. I am proud of my religion. I am
proud of all religions. Hinduism means tolerance. The BJP is defaming
Hinduism. Riots cannot be religion," she added.
Meanwhile, the
leaders of various political parties also echoed Mamata's assertion that
the BJP was not a threat and said there would be no scope for the
saffron party to form the next government if all regional parties unite.
"This
is hundred percent true. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
cannot do anything, if the regional parties unite together. If the
regional parties of West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh come together
then there will be no scope for the BJP to form the next government,"
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Ashok Sinha told ANI.
Janata Dal (United) leader Rajeev Ranjan said the BJP has its existence in politics courtesy the regional parties. "Regional
parties are very important and to underestimate them or to ignore them
is disrespect to federal structure," Ranjan told ANI.
National
Congress Party leader Nawab Malik also backed Mamata's statement, saying
the regional parties need to unite and form a grand alliance to defeat
the BJP.
"What Mamata Banerjee has said is true. There is strong
hold of regional parties in many states. If they believe to defeat the
BJP, they should join a grand alliance to defeat the NDA's 33 party
alliance," Malik told ANI.
The West Bengal Chief Minister
yesterday asserted that the BJP was not a threat as the regional parties
were enough to tackle it.
Mamata's assertion came post her meeting with Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik.
Accusing
the BJP of playing politics of division, Mamata said the saffron party
also resorted to buying the ministers and MLAs of other parties. "They
divide caste, parties. They divide Hindu-Muslims. They also purchase
ministers, MLAs. We don't do that. We believe in unity," she told the
media.
Mamata also stated that the secular parties were always together.
Responding
to a poser on having discussions on forming an alliance to stand
against the BJP, Patnaik said they did not have any talks regarding the
same. "We had no such discussions today," Patnaik said
Image: WB CM Mamata Banerjee met Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar yesterday.
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