Mamata Banerjee Slams Opposition "Deal" After Farm Co-Op Poll Defeat

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the state's opposition of ideological dishonesty, saying that the BJP, the Left and the Congress - polar extremes from the right to the left on the political spectrum - come together for convenience to take on the ruling Trinamool Congress.

"The BJP has two associates here. The CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) and the Congress. During elections, Ram (BJP), Baam (Left) and Shyam (Congress) - all these three parties - become one. They whisper into each other's ears, and they have a give and take among themselves, apart from politics there are other deals too. This is how they function. This truth must be exposed," she said.

Mamata Banerjee's comments come a day after an unusual tie-up between the BJP and the Left managed to defeat the Trinamool in an election to an agriculture cooperative body in Nandakumar of Purba Medinipur district.

The deal reignited the debate of a Left-BJP understanding in an attempt to unseat the Trinamool Congress and help the opposition perform better in the upcoming Panchayat polls, which are usually seen as an indicator of the grip of the ruling party on the electorate.

After the results, BJP MP Saumitra Khan said the aim of the BJP was to defeat the Trinamool and everyone who wanted to defeat the Trinamool Congress was welcome to join hands with the BJP, suggesting the alliance with the Left could be scaled up.

However, his comments were quickly junked by a senior leader of the party and fellow MP Dilip Ghosh.

"The BJP will work according to its own policy. Saumitra Khan does not decide on our policy. He is an MP. The BJP has decided to win the trust of the people and because that has happened, the Congress and the CPI-M have been wiped out," Dilip Ghosh said.