Taking exception to a suggestion that there was no second rung of leadership in her party, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Thursday said such questions were only put to her and never to leaders of other parties like Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati.
“Trinamool Congress is a party for the workers, who work at the grassroot level. I don’t come from an elite political family. In the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Sonia and Mayawati are all in all, but such questions are not posed at them,” Banerjee, also the railway minister, said during a panel discussion here.
She said: “In Trinamool no one is the top boss. All the efficient grassroot level workers are promoted. We are like a family.”
Banerjee’s comment came when one of the participants told her that the lack of a second rung ofleadership posed a danger for her party.
She also brushed aside an allegation levelled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha member and journalist Chandan Mitra that some anti-social elements who once used to hold Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) flags, were are now carrying the Trinamool banner.
“There are no anti-social elements in my party and I can guarantee that.”
“All these are rumours planted by the opposition parties to tarnish the image of the Trinamool Congress. These fake stories are planted by the CPI-M and they are also getting these published in the media by using some of their stooges.”
Responding to another query during the panel discussion on “Bengal can’t Carry the baggage of her past’ organised by the English daily The Statesman, Banerjee assured the people that they need not worry about the fate of the railway projects in the state if she leaves the ministry next year.
Banerjee was asked what would be the fate of railway projects that have been initiated by her in recent times after the 2011 West Bengal assembly polls when she could become the chief minister.
“Don’t you think I have my plans,” she retorted.
“You don’t have to worry. I have some plans and everything will move in the right direction.”
The panel discussion was a part of The Statesman Awards for Rural Reporting 2009
