Kolkata, May 29, 2023, IANS

Kolkata, May 29 (IANS) As leaders of all major opposition parties in the country are slated to attend a crucial meeting convened by the Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader, Nitish Kumar at Patna on June 12, the leadership of the Congress and Left Front in West Bengal have questioned the justification of inviting Trinamool Congress to that meeting.

State Congress president in West Bengal, veteran party Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had gone a step ahead in claiming that whatever might be the outcome of the meeting on June 12, Congress will continue to oppose Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.

"In West Bengal our movement is against the BJP and Trinamool Congress and that will continue. Trinamool Congress is actually a pawn of the BJP to create fissures in the opposition alliance," he said.

The CPI(M) central committee member, Sujan Chakraborty said that although it is a good initiative to unite all opposition forces against the BJP, the question is whether Trinamool Congress has the credibility to be included in that initiative.

"Trinamool Congress indirectly helped BJP in the elections for the President and Vice- President of India. In times of crisis, Trinamool Congress has always provided clandestine support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate of the Calcutta High Court Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya said that the necessity of a grand opposition alliance is always desirable and only those political forces willing to oppose the BJP true to their spirits should be included in that.

"BJP will always try to implant Trojan Horses within the opposition front. In such a situation the inclusion of Trinamool Congress in that process will not be a desirable step. Rather, the model of Left Front and Congress understanding in West Bengal should be followed nationally," he said.

Trinamool Congress leaders like the party Rajya Sabha member Dr Santanu Sen, however feel that the arguments of CPI(M) and the Congress leadership in West Bengal are totally insignificant since they have no relevance. "When the entire country has identified Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the leader of the opposition, then what the CPI(M) and Congress leaders in West Bengal say does not really matter," he said.

The leader of the opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari said that Congress' opposition to Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is just eyewash. "On one hand the Adhir Ranjan is speaking of opposing Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, on the other hand Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi is the main saviour of Trinamool Congress and West Bengal government in the Supreme Court," he said.