Bengal opposition leaders, candidates willing to join Trinamool: Minister

West Bengal Transport Minister Subhendu Adhikari on Tuesday claimed there would be no political opposition in the state in the coming days with many opposition candidates who won in the recent rural body elections willing to join the ruling Trinamool Congress.

He said many prominent opposition leaders have also got in touch with him stating that they want to be a part of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's developmental drive.

"Trinamool will emerge victorious on all fronts. No one else will be there. Not only the winners of panchayat election but also a lot of prominent people's representatives want to join Mamata Banerjee.

They want to be a part of Trinamool Congress' drive for development. Many of them have already contacted me," Adhikari told reporters at a party event in Malda district.

The minister, who is also his party's observer in Malda, said the party will get more than 55 per cent votes in the district and capture both the Lok Sabha constituencies there in the 2019 general election.

"Trinamool Congress will emerge victorious here. Congress-CPI-M and BJP would sit and fix amongst themselves who would come second or third," he added.

Responding to Adhikari's comments, Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh said state ruling party has taken up to violent and unfair measures to drive out the opposition from Bengal and challenged the Trinamool to fight them in a democratic way.

"Trinamool's attempt to make the state opposition free has brought out widespread condemnation from all over the country. They are misusing the police and state administration as they are in power. They are killing people in Purulia district because they lost in Panchayat elections there. This is unimaginable," Ghosh claimed.

"People have not given them the rights to drive out all the opposition. I challenge them to drive us out in a democratic way. We will see how they succeed in doing so," he added.

--IANS

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