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Murshidabad (West Bengal): In a fresh attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, state Congress president and MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday called the former an "opportunist," adding that the Congress party knows how to contest elections on its own.
Hitting out at the West Bengal CM, Adhir Chowdhury said that in the 2011 elections, Mamata Banerjee came to power with the mercy of Congress.
"This time, the elections will not be fought at the mercy of Mamata Banerjee. The Congress defeated the BJP and TMC in the two seats that Mamata Banerjee is leaving. The Congress party knows how to contest the elections. Mamta Banerjee is an opportunist; she came to power in 2011, with the mercy of Congress," the Congress MP said while addressing a press conference.
Earlier on Saturday, Chowdhury made an aggressive statement, saying that he doesn't care about anyone, whoever is contesting the Lok Sabha Election in West Bengal as he very well knows how to fight and win.
"I don't care about anyone. Our leaders have already spoken. I have reached here only by contesting and winning. We know how to contest and win", Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.
Chowdhury reacted to the statement made by TMC State General Secretary Kunal Ghosh on seat sharing with Congress in West Bengal, during which he said that TMC will be fighting on all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Reacting to this, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asserted that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is "very close" to him, adding that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's sharp remarks against the Trinamool Congress chief on seat-sharing talks "won't matter.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress leader said talks with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on seat-sharing in Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls are underway.
"The negotiations on seat-sharing are underway; I don't want to comment here. But Mamata Banerjee is very close to me and our party. Sometimes our leaders say something, their leaders say something, and it goes on. It's a natural thing. Such comments won't matter and these are not things that are going to disrupt things," Gandhi said when asked about Chowdhury's recent remarks that Congress would contest the Lok Sabha elections without her assistance.
He further said that the party has invited INDIA parties to join the yatra, and our party will feel good if our partners join us.
Congress is keen that the seat-sharing pact be sealed before the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra comes to Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
