Trinamool’s Abhishek Banerjee bats for AAP in Delhi polls

Trinamool Congress backs AAP in Delhi polls, emphasizes unity of Opposition parties for defeating BJP.

Emphasising the unity of Opposition parties, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) put his weight behind the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming polls in Delhi.

“In Delhi, we have an AAP government. In the last elections they (AAP) won 67 of the 70 seats. So we will support AAP in Delhi. Wherever the Congress is strong, we will support the Congress,” Mr. Banerjee said while speaking in Diamond Harbour.

The Trinamool leader asked who could effectively defeat the BJP: whether it be Congress or AAP. “If defeating the BJP is my target, then why would we weaken the party that is fighting the BJP with all its strength?” Mr. Banerjee said, adding that all Opposition parties must unite to support the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Trinamool leader said that within the INDIA bloc, it is crucial for each party to back the strongest regional force in every State; for instance, the Trinamool Congress is strong in West Bengal and DMK is strong in Tamil Nadu, and it is important to ensure their strength without undermining them. “Only through unity can we protect and preserve the democracy of our nation,” he said.

During the day, Mr. Abhishek Banerjee participated in a SEBAASHRAY initiative camp in his constituency at Falta in Diamond Harbour. The Trinamool leader had started this initiative at the beginning of the year to provide free medical services to the people of his constituency. This initiative has raised questions about whether the move is to undermine the schemes of the West Bengal government.

“I do not think it is right to compare [between SEBAASHRAY and the State’s health infrastructure]. I am doing this to the best of my ability. I disagree with the notion that the State’s health infrastructure is under question. You should see how many medical colleges and super-specialty hospitals have been set up by the State government since coming to power in 2011,” Mr. Banerjee said.

The Trinamool general secretary added that for the Swasthya Sathi Card scheme, they follow a ‘no questions asked’ policy, whereas in the case of the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat, there is a long list of stringent and restrictive eligibility criteria. Mr. Banerjee said that there have been attempts to defame the Trinamool Congress from Sandeshkhali to the RG Kar incident.