By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal’s principal opposition party, Trinamool Congress’ chief Mamata Banerjee Friday welcomed senior Congress leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay in her party, saying it would now go “all-out” to take the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) head on in the coming elections.
“I welcome the decision of Sudip Bandhopadhyay and his supporters who joined Trinamool Congress today (Friday). I still consider these people, who joined us today, were always with our party from its inception,” she told a press conference here.
Banerjee said she would welcome everyone who wants to fight with the CPI-M in West Bengal in Trinamool Congress. “I believe we cannot form any political platform individually. It should be a collective effort by a large number of people, comprising various groups and political parties, if we really want to bring any change in the state,” she noted.
Earlier, Bandhopadhyay evinced his keenness to join Trinamool Congress and had a discussion with Banerjee in New Delhi on the issue early this week.
Sitting legislator from Bowbazar constituency and a former member of parliament from Kolkata’s north-west constituency, Bandhopadhyay alleged that the Congress was not giving him “due importance” and he was losing his “political identity” in the party.
“I don’t have any grievance against the Congress leadership at the national level. But here in West Bengal, I was facing some problems with the functioning of some state leaders,” he said.
Bandhopadhyay said his decision to join the Trinamool Congress was to enable him combat the ruling CPI-M in the state.