Trinamool, BJP two sides of same coin: Congress

The Trinamool Congress and the BJP were "two sides of the same coin" and there was no difference between them, the Congress said on Tuesday.

"No wonder, the electorate of West Bengal find no difference between 'Modi' (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and 'Didi' (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee), both being two sides of the same coin centred around phony marketing, spurious self promotion and falsehood of 'achche din' or 'poribortan' (change)," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

"'Poribortan' has become a defining word for '3 Cs' -- corruption, criminalisation and communalism -- under the watch of Mamata Banerjee.

"In fact, the entire state is mired in corruption with the recent flyover collapse... bringing to light the rampant illegalities," he added.

"In reality, 'Shatotar Pratik' or 'symbol of honesty' has become 'fountain of corruption'," he said.

He also indicated at a tacit understanding between the Trinamool and the BJP.

"Political opportunism defines the tacit understanding between Trinamool and the BJP. Trinamool has been an ally of the BJP in the past, with Mamata Banerjee herself having served as railway minister in the Vajpayee government.

"Indicators of this tacit understanding were visible recently as the Trinamool openly supported the BJP in the Rajya Sabha on the GST Bill against the Congress, which wants a maximum constitutional cap on taxation of 18 percent beyond which ordinary people should not be taxed," he said.

Giving another instance, Surjewala said: "Another example is that of the Trinamool opposing the Mines and Minerals Bill in the Lok Sabha on March 3, 2015. Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 10, 2015. Immediately thereafter, the Trinamool made a somersault and supported the bill in the Rajya Sabha."