West Bengal polls: Mamata Banerjee's anti-BJP front bid gets tepid response

Banerjee said the time had come for a "united and effective" struggle against the BJP's 'attacks' on democracy and the Constitution

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s heartfelt appeal to Opposition parties to sink differences and forge a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not achieved the resounding endorsement the TMC expected. While the leadership of the biggest Opposition party, the Congress, has not reacted, even non-Congress and (now) anti-BJP parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have voiced no view on Banerjee’s appeal.

In a letter addressed to leaders of all major Opposition parties barring the Left, in the midst of the Assembly election campaign, Banerjee said the time had come for a