Mamata asks party workers to stay away from infighting

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Press Trust of India Kolkata
Last Updated : Feb 06 2016 | 7:42 PM IST
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today asked party workers to desist from infighting and spread the developmental work by the state government.
The West Bengal Chief Minister asked the workers not to create confusion about distribution of party tickets for the upcoming Assembly elections as the final call on distribution of tickets would be taken by her and the party leadership.
She was presiding over an organisational evaluation meeting of South 24 Parganas district, which was attended by senior party leaders, MPs and MLAs.
"Mamata, during the meeting, asked us to work hard for the party. She also asked us to work unitedly and stay away from factionalism. She said factionalism at certain places is hampering developmental work. She has asked us to spread the developmental work done by the government among the people," said a party leader requesting anonymity.
During her address, Banerjee underscored the need for highlighting development work undertaken by the government and not to be provoked by Opposition ahead of the elections.
Echoing Tyagi, SP General Secretary Amar Singh said, "We
welcome her (Banerjee's) statement. Whatever she has said is absolutely right. We share a very cordial relationship with her.
"The time has come for secular minded parties to unite against the communal politics of love jihad, cow protection, Ghar Wapsi," he said.
An AAP spokesperson said, "Our leader Arvind Kejriwal and TMC supremo Mamata di share a very cordial relationship but the policy decision will be taken by our party leadership."
BJP, however, ridiculed any such move and said Banerjee should look after her own state before "dreaming" about national politics.
"She should stop dreaming about playing a role in national politics and concentrate in her own state. She should first manage her own state.
"Under TMC and Banerjee's appeasement politics, West Bengal has turned into a safe heaven for Jihadis. Law and order has completely failed in 12 districts," BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is in-charge of Bengal, said.
Banerjee's outbursts against the Modi government has taken the political community by surprise as the party had been maintaining a stoic silence on various issues for the past one year like Lalitgate, Vyapyam scam, political crises in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh and the killing of Mohammed Akalaq in Uttar Pradesh.
A senior TMC leader said the move was not sudden and has been done with an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha election.
"Whatever our supremo has said is a proposal. It is for other like-minded secular parties to take their call. We want to unite the secular forces and parties across the country. TMC will play a pivotal role and act as a glue to hold the secular forces together," he said.
He said the political posturing of the party would be more aggressive after the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election next year.
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First Published: Feb 06 2016 | 7:42 PM IST

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