'Better vote for BJP than TMC,' says Adhir Ranjan; TMC hits back

Trinamool Congress on Wednesday accused Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of being the "B-team" of the BJP, after a video, where he was heard saying that voting for BJP is better than voting for the TMC, showed up on the internet.

Commenting on the remark, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the goal of his party is to bring the numbers of the BJP down in West Bengal and that TMC is a part of the INDIA bloc.

The purported video showed Chowdhury, the sitting MP and candidate from West Bengal's Baharampur, addressing a public meeting and saying "it's better to vote for the BJP than to vote for the TMC." The TMC, which has already been miffed with Chowdhury's repeated jibes against the party, responded to the video by blaming him for the failure of the seat-sharing talks with Congress and calling him "anti-Bengal." In a post on X, the TMC said that after acting as "eyes and ears of BJP in Bengal," Chowdhury has now been promoted to be the "voice of the BJP in Bengal." "Listen to how the B-Team member is openly asking people to vote for the BJP – a party that refused to release Bengal's rightful due and deprived our people of their rights. Only a Bangla-Birodhi can campaign for the BJP, which has repeatedly insulted Bengal's icons," the TMC said.

"On May 13, people of Baharampur will give a befitting response to this betrayal!" it added.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale also attacked the Congress leader over the remarks.

"Finally - from the B-team horse's mouth! Congress Bengal chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury publicly asks people in his rally to vote for the BJP and not the TMC. While Mamata Banerjee fights against the full might of Modi+Central Agencies machinery, Bengal Congress is openly asking votes for the BJP," he said in a post on X.

"In Bengal, TMC is INDIA taking on BJP. Meanwhile, Congress and CPM have chosen to become Modi’s loyal soldiers. This is disgusting and beyond shameless," he said. Ramesh, meanwhile, said that the only goal of the Congress was to bring down the numbers of BJP in West Bengal.

"I do not know the context of what Adhir ji said, but our aim is to reduce the numbers of BJP in West Bengal significantly," Ramesh said.

"They won 18 out of 43 seats, we have to reduce their numbers and that is the only goal. This is not assembly election, this is Lok Sabha election. Congress, along with Left parties, is a part of INDIA bloc, TMC leader Mamata Banerjee has also said they are part of the INDIA bloc, though we are not in a seat sharing arrangement," he said.

A triangular contest between the TMC, Congress-Left alliance, and the BJP is being witnessed in West Bengal, where the TMC has 22 out of 42 seats in Lok Sabha, BJP 17, and Congress two MPs.

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