No question of resigning, says Mamata

KOLKATA, (IANS): A day after Trinamool Congress witnessed a major defeat in West Bengal Assembly elections after 15 years of uninterrupted rule in the state, the outgoing Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, stressed on the necessity of strengthening the INDIA Bloc to organise a movement nationally against the BJP and the NDA-ruled Centre. She also ruled out the possibility of voluntarily tendering her resignation to the Governor as the outgoing Chief Minister.

According to her, the “defeat” of Trinamool Congress this time, was not a “defeat” in the real sense as the results did not reflect the true public mandate.

“Why shall I resign now? We are not defeated in the true sense. The results are reflections of massive misappropriation and vote-looting. So, where from the question of resignation comes,” Mamata Banerjee told media persons on Tuesday afternoon at a press conference accompanied by her nephew and Trinamool Congress General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee and a host of members of the outgoing state Cabinet led by her.

Speaking on the occasion, she also claimed that after the results were declared on Monday night, she received solidarity calls from all top leaders of the constituents of the INDIA bloc. According to her, top leaders from the INDIA Bloc like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav and Hemant Soren called her up and assured of support.

“The INDIA Bloc will become stronger in the coming days. Akhilesh wanted to come and meet today. I have asked him to come tomorrow. Everyone will come one by one. We will strengthen the Opposition alliance,” the Chief Minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, she also said that the contest of Trinamool Congress in this election was more against the Election Commission of India (ECI) rather than against the BJP.

“Our real battle was not against the BJP. The ECI was the main villain this time and it created a black history. First, they snatched the democratic right of many people to cast their votes through the Special Intensive Revision exercise. Then before the elections, they harassed our men by conducting raids. They changed all the previous officers of the state government. There was a setting between the BJP and the ECI. The Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister were directly involved in this conspiracy,” the outgoing Chief Minister said.

She also alleged that she was kicked when she went to the counting centre as a candidate on Monday afternoon when the counting was going on.