Expulsion ‘will make her more popular’: Mamata speaks up for Mahua, finally

Finally breaking her silence on the alleged “cash-for-query” case against Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee took up the cudgels for her party’s embattled MP for the first time on Thursday (November 23).

The West Bengal Chief Minister was addressing party workers and leaders at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata to outline the party’s likely strategy for the ensuing parliamentary elections due early next year.

Insinuating that Moitra was a victim of conspiracy, Banerjee said, “They (BJP) are planning to expel her (Moitra from the parliament). It will only make her more popular. She will speak outside parliament whatever she has to say on the floor of the House… In any case, there is hardly three months left for the Lok Sabha’s tenure to end.”

Moitra has been accused of taking favours from a business competitor of the Adani Group to raise questions in the parliament against the latter.

The TMC has so far avoided making any direct comment on the allegations against Moitra. But the party indicated its support to her earlier this month by making her the Karimnagar district president, enhancing her role in the party organisation.

The Adani issue

Significantly, the TMC supremo has voiced her support for Moitra at a time when speculation is rife in the state that differences have cropped up between the state government and the Adani Group over setting up of a deep-sea port at Tajpur in East Midnapore district.

Banerjee announced the state government’s decision to call for a tender for the port project at a business summit on Tuesday (November 21).

The announcement raised eyebrows as a Letter of Intent was handed over to Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited last year after it had emerged as the highest bidder in the tender floated to set up the port.

By publicly backing Moitra in her tirade against Adani Group, the TMC chief further fuelled the speculation about the future of the controversial business conglomerate in the state.

Plea to RSS

Asking her party functionaries to remain alert against the BJP and its associate organisations that might foment trouble and influence people by distributing money, Banerjee took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him.

She called upon the RSS not to further back the person “who is most harmful for the country”.

“You do religious activities; we have no problem… I have nothing to say about you. But I have one request: please don’t support the person who is most harmful for the country,” she said, apparently addressing the BJP’s ideological fountainhead.

Her appeal to the RSS assumes significance, as there is growing resentment in the saffron camp about the way the BJP has been allegedly hijacked by turncoats from other parties, sidelining original BJP functionaries and leaders who came from an RSS background.

Jab for Modi

Banerjee went on to add, again without naming anyone, that he (Modi) “brings downfall”. First, she referred to India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon lander failing to answer wake-up calls to support her claim. Then, she mentioned India’s winning streak in the ICC World Cup being halted in the final.

“The team was winning and playing so well. Then those sinners went there (to watch the final) and the team lost,” she claimed, adding a fresh thrust to the ongoing “panauti” (ominous) jab against the prime minister.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was the first to attack the prime minister, calling him “panauti” at a recent election rally.

Banerjee insisted that India would have won the Cup had the final been played in the Eden Gardens (in Kolkata) or Wankhede (Stadium in Mumbai).

She alleged that the BJP was trying to saffronise everything, including sports. The cricket team was issued saffron jerseys, she said, referring to the team’s practice uniform.