The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has labeled the recent meeting between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal as “political tourism” ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The saffron party asserts that the aspirations of these “Prime Ministerial aspirants” will remain unfulfilled, as they believe the BJP, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, will return to power for a third consecutive term next year.
BJP’s national vice-president, Dilip Ghosh, criticized the meeting, stating that it was a waste of public money and would yield no results, emphasizing that there is no vacancy for the Prime Minister’s post in 2024. Similarly, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar dismissed the meeting as a futile exercise, citing previous failed attempts to form alliances between the parties in 2014 and 2019.
The West Bengal Congress, on the other hand, accused the AAP and TMC of having the same goal of weakening the Congress party. State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the electoral battles between the AAP and TMC in several states only served to benefit the BJP. He further alleged that both parties aimed to increase their own strength while undermining the Congress.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty questioned Mamata Banerjee’s credibility, highlighting the TMC’s failure to vote against bills brought by the Modi-led NDA government. Chakraborty emphasized the need to observe whether Banerjee’s actions align with her statements regarding the Kejriwal government in Delhi.
The meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal took place as part of Kejriwal’s nationwide tour to gather support against the Central ordinance related to the control of appointments and transfers of bureaucrats in Delhi. Kejriwal, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, sought Banerjee’s support in Kolkata.
Overall, the BJP has dismissed the meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal as mere political posturing, asserting their confidence in retaining power in the upcoming elections. The opposition parties, however, have raised concerns about the potential impact of their alliance on the broader political landscape and accused them of indirectly aiding the BJP. As the political landscape continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how these alliances and rivalries will shape the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
