Congress leader KC Venugopal on Tuesday said a BJP government in West Bengal would be no different from BJP-ruled states elsewhere and would be equally “aggressive”.
Speaking after a two-day organisational review meeting in Kolkata, he said the party had reviewed its preparedness in the state after the Assembly elections and was also discussing plans for the upcoming bypolls and civic body elections.
He also defended the INDIA bloc amid criticism over its functioning, saying the alliance remained united against the BJP and the RSS despite political differences among its constituent parties.
Decisions on possible electoral alliances in West Bengal would be taken after assessing the political situation, he said.
At the press conference, Venugopal alleged that the BJP did not believe in the Constitution and was targeting the livelihoods of ordinary people.
“They do not believe in the Constitution. They want to destroy the livelihood of the common people. That is why they have started evicting hawkers. The Congress will stand with the poor and continue its fight against the BJP,” he said.
Venugopal was in Kolkata to assess the party’s organisational preparedness in West Bengal following the Assembly elections. On Monday, he met district Congress presidents and AICC members from the state.
Tuesday’s meeting was attended by all Congress candidates who had contested the Assembly polls. The meetings were attended by AICC Working Committee member Deepa Dasmunshi, AICC in-charge of West Bengal Ghulam Ahmad Mir and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Shubhankar Sarkar.
Responding to questions on the INDIA bloc, Venugopal said political contests between alliance partners in some states had not weakened its larger purpose.
“In Kerala, we are fighting the CPI(M). In Punjab, we are fighting the AAP. But when the BJP and the RSS are attacking pluralism, democracy and constitutional rights, we are united in opposing them. That is the purpose of the INDIA bloc,” he said.
Stepping up his attack on the BJP, he alleged that the party wanted to control different aspects of public life.
“Not providing eggs in the mid-day meal scheme shows that the BJP wants to decide what students should eat. It wants to impose its dominance everywhere. It is pushing for the Uniform Civil Code and introducing laws in legislatures with the real intention of suppressing dissent,” he alleged.
Referring to the reported theft of donations at the Ram Temple, Venugopal alleged, “The RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad are involved in the incident. Why is the BJP silent?”
He said the Congress had also reviewed its preparations for the coming bypolls and civic body polls in the state, with decisions on alliances to be taken later.
Meanwhile, state Congress spokesperson Suman Roy Chowdhury said the party had received permission from the Army authorities for its proposed “Chalo Shaheed Minar” programme in Kolkata on July 21.
Overall, the meetings focused on the Congress’s organisational readiness in West Bengal, its electoral strategy and its attack on the BJP at both the state and national levels.
