With only months to go before the Presidential election, Trinamool Congress chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that she would be happy to see L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj or Pranab Mukherjee, persons she shared a cordial relation with, occupy the post.
“I will be happy if any of them gets to become the next President,” she said in an interview to a Bengali television channel on Thursday.
To a separate question, she said she shared a good relationship with Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh too.
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Asked if she would support any of the leaders, Ms. Banerjee chose to be diplomatic. “It will depend on what is good for the country,” she said. TMC has a formidable presence in both Houses of Parliament and the State Assembly and can therefore play a significant role.
Ms. Banerjee’s comment has come at a time when the relationship between the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and TMC in the State is at its nadir.
Besides, the ongoing probes into financial scams, a CBI probe has been ordered by the Calcutta High Court into the cash-on-camera Narada sting operation. The State BJP is also firing on all cylinders against the Trinamool.
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‘No challenges’
Ms. Banerjee, however, said these were “no challenges” for her or her party.
She reminded the interviewer that she shared a good relationship with senior BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh. “That is because we have worked together for some time.” She, however, said if she was targeted in the State, she would target the BJP at the national level. “I can contest elections in other States. TMC cannot be controlled by fear and they [the BJP] is aware of that,” she said.
“BJP is afraid of us. Because they are aware that Bengal will be in a position to give some kind of [national] leadership. I’m not saying I will lead…[but] we could be in a position to support other parties, formations, and that is their fear.” She said the political conspiracies or investigations by Central agencies were prompted by this fear to keep the TMC confined to Bengal. “So we may not able to step out of the State and contest.”
She alleged that the BJP was trying to instigate communal tension in the State. “I am very sad to say that a politician from another party has brought to my notice that there are campaigns against me in [messaging] groups... that I was not born into a Hindu family. I will not be disheartened by such filthy campaigns,” she said.