Mamata desperate to keep her party relevant nationally: BJP's Saumitra Khan

BJP Lok Sabha MP Saumitra Khan slammed Mamata Banerjee's recent remarks during her Mumbai visit and said that she is doing political gimmicks so that the TMC remains a national party.

Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha MP Saumitra Khan on Thursday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent remarks during her Mumbai visit and said that she is doing political gimmicks so that the Trinamool Congress remains a national party.

Speaking to ANI, Khan said, "For a party to remain a national party, it must secure at least 6 per cent votes in a state in the general elections. Mamata Banerjee, who is the chief of Trinamool Congress, fears losing her national party status. Hence, she met NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai to chalk out a strategy for the 2024 General elections."

"In view of the upcoming state Assembly elections in 2022, Mamata Banerjee is running here and there to garner 2 per cent votes because TMC needs 6 per cent votes from all over India to remain a national political party," he said.

As per the Election Commission of India, All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Bharatiya Janata Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are the only seven national parties in the country as on date. As per the Commission, 'national status' is conferred on a party if its candidates secure at least 6 per cent of the votes polled in a state in a Lok Sabha election, or if four of its MPs get re-elected from any state, or if it wins at least 2 per cent of the seats in the Lok Sabha in the last general elections, or if the party is recognised as a state party in at least four states.

Further slamming TMC supremo, Khan said, "Banerjee was speaking Inshallah and now she has gone to Mumbai to chant Ganpati Bappa Morya. She could not meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for unknown reasons. For Mamata, whoever enters Bengal except Bengali is an outsider. So, in that way, wasn't she an outsider for people in Maharashtra? Mamata is doing political gimmicks."

Khan further slammed Banerjee for allegedly insulting the national anthem. He said, "Mamata always chants Jai Bangla instead of Jai Bharat. She did not even respect our national anthem. She does not wish to speak Jai Bharat. She wants to break the integrity of India. She wants to make West Bengal as West Bangladesh. In Mumbai, she said 'Jai Bangla Jai Maharashtra' but not Jai Bharat. By speaking Inshallah, she wants to create and become the President of West Bangladesh.