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News Desk: Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi, on Wednesday, said that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is the right person to lead the opposition at the present moment. He also explained why he is eager to join hands with the Congress and said that all regional forces must form a federal front and join hands with the Congress to defeat the BJP.
Reason behind joining hands with Congress
Gogoi said “Between 2005, when I founded the KMSS, and 2016, the Congress was in power in the state. It was in power at the Centre till 2014. We agitated against the anti-people policies and corruption of the Congress governments. The BJP came to power in Delhi in 2014 and in Assam in 2016. We realised that the policies of the BJP government were more anti-people than those of the Congress. In terms of neo-liberal policies, where the Congress hesitated, the BJP and the RSS, which talked of Swadeshi economy, moved forward at an alarming pace to please the corporates. We could not imagine that someone could be worse for the people than the Congress. So, we started opposing the Modi-led government”
“To hide these misdeeds, the BJP-RSS combination did communal politics, polarising the country on religious lines. Thanks to the Modi government, people of India had to suffer three curses—demonetisation, GST, and an unplanned lockdown. The economy has been ruined by these missteps. The people of India have realised that their future will not be secure if the BJP is in power. So, we want to be part of a united struggle to overthrow this government. This struggle cannot be successful if Congress doesn’t become part of it” he added.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is the right person to lead the opposition at the present moment
Gogoi said “To defeat the BJP, all regional forces must form a federal front and join hands with the Congress, which has also become a regional party only, with influence in a handful of states. Neither the regional forces nor the Congress can defeat the BJP on their own in the Lok Sabha polls. So, both groups must come together with a strategy—the Congress must contest in around 200 seats where it can expect to win and leave the rest to regional parties. If the Congress thinks that Modi can be defeated under its leadership, the party is living in fool’s paradise”
“Today people are hugely disappointed with the Modi government. They are angry. But that doesn’t mean they will embrace a corpse. Today, the Congress is a decaying force while regional forces have shown the potential to defeat the BJP. The alternative force in politics must convince the voters that it has the potential to defeat the ruling party. It must provide a vision, make people dream. So, it will be a historically correct decision if the Congress shows flexibility and allows one of the regional forces to lead the Opposition alliance” he added.
He also said “Even if Rahul Gandhi cannot become PM in 2024, he has time and age by his side. He can try later. He is still learning. That doesn’t, however, mean that he is a “Pappu”, as publicised by the BJP-RSS. I always say, there is no substance in Modi’s speeches. It’s all rhetoric. But Rahul Gandhi’s speeches always has substance. He has advocated a decentralised model of governance. Having said that, I reiterate that at this moment, one of the frontrunners to lead the federal front is West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee”
