By IANS,
Kolkata : Describing the poor showing of the ruling Left front in West Bengal as a “no confidence” vote by the people and eager to capitalise on its own spectacular Lok Sabha poll win, the Trinamool Congress Saturday demanded that the state assembly polls slated for 2011 be advanced.
“We will try to pre-pone the assembly elections. After all, this vote is an expression of no-confidence in the state government,” Banerjee told newspersons at her residence here, soon after her party’s spectacular showing in alliance with the Congress.
Banerjee said that Trinamool’s alliance partner Congress was not as anti-CPI-M as her party. “I will talk to the Congress on this (advancing the assembly polls). This LF government is flouting the constitution.”
Asked about the number of ministers her party would like to have in the United Progressive alliance (UPA) government, Banerjee said: “The counting is not over yet. We have to hold discussions on this. Let the government at the centre be formed, and then we will talk to it. It will take some time.”
On whether she would demand a Bengal package from the centre, Banerjee said her party wanted development of the state. “We want safety and security of the people. We want development.”
Giving the LF its worst jolt during its 32-year rule, the Trinamool Congress won 19, its alliance partner Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) one and the Congress six of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats.
Attributing her alliance’s spectacular win to the people’s anger against the “arrogance and terror tactics” of the LF government, Banerjee said that the administration in the state was now being run by the communist party cadres. “This is because there were no changes in the political power for long.”
“It’s a win for mother, land and people,” Banerjee said, referring to her pre-poll slogan “Maa, Mati, Manush”.
She claimed that the CPI-M was fading fast and would soon be erased from the country’s political map.
Banerjee alleged that even after the resounding defeat, the CPI-M was beating up Trinamool workers, and urged her partymen to ensure there was no retaliation or breach of peace.
She thanked the people for voting for the alliance. “Despite all the atrocities and the state sponsored terrorism, the people of Bengal have voted for us. We are obliged to the people and we will take care of them.”
Banerjee claimed that had the election been completely free and fair the Trinamool-Congress combine would have won all 42 seats. “They have won some seats in the western part of the state by raising a hue and cry over Maoists.”
She said the minorities and the scheduled castes and tribes had also supported the opposition.
Banerjee said after seeing the CPI-M’s atrocities in the first phase of elections in the state on April 30, held for 14 seats in the western belt, she had given a call to resist the terror tactics and that worked in the second and third phases.