Left gives call to oust Modi-Mamata, accuses BJP, TMC of looting people in partnership

Addressing the crowd at Kolkata's iconic Brigade Parade Ground, which witnessed Mamata's mega rally with 23 political leaders on Jan 19, CPI-M general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, said: "We want to oust both Modi and Mamata not because they belong to opposition parties but due to their policies."

Accusing the TMC supremo of hypocrisy over her stand on BJP, Yechury said: "It was Mamata who took part in the NDA government and now she is saying BJP creates riots."

"Modi and Mamata are in a pair to loot people," he added sharing the dais with leaders from several other Left political parties.

Going back to early 2000, Mamata was a part of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet in the NDA government and herself ran the Railway Ministry, which she also assumed later under UPA regime in 2009.

In an all-out attack, Mohammed Salim, who is Left's one of the two Lok Sabha MPs from West Bengal, accused Modi and Mamata of running a mock political fight.

"Mamata Banerjee is in the state because she has an understanding with Modi," Salim said.

Interestingly, the CPI-M leader accused the TMC of defecting Congress leaders in a way Modi gave a call for "Congress-mukt Bharat". However, the Prime Minister later clarified multiple times that what he meant by "Congress-mukt Bharat" is a country without the Congress culture.

Salim also referred to Congress MP Mausam Noor, who recently joined the TMC.

The interim union budget was one of the major issues which was touched upon by the Left leaders at the venue, which saw a sea of red flags.

Yechury mentioned acting Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal's announcement of a scheme which promised to give Rs. 6000 per year to farmers.

Echoing the words of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who said the central government disrespected the farmers through such a scheme, Yechury almost mocked Modi's move to pay "Rs. 3" to peasants each day.

Taking a dig at both Modi and Mamata in a same line over their claims regarding farmers' income, Salim said: "If Modi and Mamata did everything then why they are announcing schemes. Farmers don't want to beg but demand their rights and correct prices of crops."

In late December, Mamata introduced Krishak Bandhu scheme which will provide Rs. 5000 per acre of land to farmers in two installments every year.

Raising the issue of unemployment, the Left leaders attacked the Modi government over Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation.

Yechury even attacked the BJP government over a recent report which claimed the unemployment rate in the country was highest in 2017-2018 in last 45 years. However, NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of the central government, said the report was not verified.

On the same issue, CPI-M leader and former West Bengal minister, Surjya Kanta Mishra, said: "When unemployment is rising across the nation, Mamata is saying she has reduced 40 per cent of unemployment."

Remaining silent on Saradha and Narada scams, where several TMC leaders are under the scanner, Yechury accused Modi of "looting" money through the controversial Rafale deal (buying of 36 fighter jets by India from France) and forming electoral bonds for his party.

On a day Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP's star campaigner, Yogi Adityanath, was denied a helipad to land at Balurghat in the state, spreading communalism, disrupting brotherhood and the Citizenship Amendment Bill were some other issues on Yechury's plate at the Brigade, which was missed by JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar for his illness, to corner the BJP government.

Not just Kanhaiya, but ailing former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattarcharya also failed to take the dais despite reaching the Brigade area.

Image credit: Avishek Mitra/IBNS