Mamata Banerjee ‘Contemplating Something New Excluding Congress’: Sanjay Raut

“It looks like Banerjee is contemplating something new excluding the Congress,” he said in his in his weekly column ‘Rokhthok’ in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut | File Image

Mumbai: Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “no UPA now” remark, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday categorically stated the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo is contemplating an alliance excluding the Congress.

“It looks like Banerjee is contemplating something new excluding the Congress,” he said in his in his weekly column ‘Rokhthok’ in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

Raut, whose party shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, claimed Banerjee as having said that the TMC will not test political waters in Maharashtra.

“We will not come here as the Shiv Sena and the NCP are strong,” he said asserting Banerjee told this to Shiv Sena leader and state minister Aaditya Thackeray during her meeting in the Maharashtra capital a few days ago.

Raut claimed West Bengal’s ruling party is going to contest the upcoming assembly elections in neighbouring Goa.

Raut, who is the executive editor of ‘Saamana’, asserted the TMC is also spreading its wings in the north-eastern states of Tripura and Meghalaya.

The Rajya Sabha MP said Banerjee had during her Mumbai visit discussed with Aaditya Thackeray the exchange of tourism and culture between West Bengal and Maharashtra.

Raut further said the TMC chief sought land for construction of Bengal Bhavan in Mumbai to enable the patients to get accommodation while coming for treatment in the Maharashtra capital, especially at the Tata cancer hospital.

"The two states share an emotional bond dating back to history. It was decided that the bond should be further strengthened for the benefit of the younger generation so that they can get a peak into the history,” he said, PTI reported.

The Shiv Sena leader further said the West Bengal Chief Minister has invited Aaditya Thackeray for the upcoming Kolkata International Film Festival.

Raut’s remarks came a day after the Shiv Sena mouthpiece said keeping the Congress away from national politics and creating an opposition alliance parallel to the UPA without it is akin to strengthening the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the “fascist” forces.

The Shiv Sena mouthpiece had also said that those who do not want a Congress-led UPA should make their stand clear publicly instead of creating confusion by talking behind back.

Taking a swipe at the Congress leadership, Banerjee had during her Mumbai visit earlier on Wednesday declared “there is no UPA now” and said it will be “very easy to defeat the BJP” if “all regional parties are together”.

The TMC chief, who is continuously pitching for a strong alternative at the national level but indirectly taking on the grand old party after her party’s landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly polls held earlier this year, was part of the Congress-led UPA that remained in power at the Centre for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 when the BJP came to power.