Trinamool To BJP Like Frying Pan To Fire, Says Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has warned against joining forces with the BJP just to spite the Trinamool Congress.

"Is it a good idea to jump from the Trinamool frying pan into the BJP fire?" he asked in an exclusive interview to the CPM's newspaper, "Ganashakti".

His rhetorical question is being viewed as a warning to not just the voters but to CPM cadre as well who have sought shelter with the BJP to ward off Trinamool attacks.

Asked if he thought the BJP was making inroads into Bengal, he said, "Yes, there is that danger. Some inroads have been made. We must change these situations. Is it a good idea to jump from the Trinamool frying pan into the BJP fire?"

He added people are realizing the difference between the Left and Trinamool.

"Trinamool must be defeated, BJP must be stopped in the whole country. The dhandabaajer chowkidar (the defender of the opportunists) must go," he said.  

And the alternative to Narendra Modi? The former Marxist poster boy said, "Modi is a model of aggressive communalism and capitalists in the country. He has told opportunist capitalists that he is their chowkidar. People must smash this model. The alternative is Left, democratic, secular forces and an independent economy."

Mr Bhattacharjee, who virtually withdrew from political activity after Mamata Banerjee defeated his Left Front government in West Bengal in the Assembly elections of 2011, is unwell and not able to campaign.

On 3rd February, he drove from his home to the Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata's iconic venue for political rallies, for a mega Left Front rally. He could not go on stage as dust from the ground could cause serious respiratory distress.

Asked about "polarization" and the "competitive communalism" playing out between BJP and TMC in Bengal, he said, "Both are making very calculated moves.Their objective is to fan communalism so that the both benefit. The kind of polarization BJP and TMC are creating in the state is unprecedented. The TMC is creating a dangerous atmosphere by creating space for the BJP and compromising with them. We need to uproot this kind of politics and keep Hindus and Muslims united."