The Congress party, on Thursday, took a jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and claimed that she was an ‘incidental beneficiary’ of the BJP’s ‘rhetoric and politics of threat’. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Banerjee is not the only regional leader to have defeated the BJP and others such as MK Stalin, Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan have also done the same.

“BJP leadership’s communal rhetoric and politics of threat and intimidation only helped Mamata Banerjee. Without taking away credit for the fight she put up, I would say she was an incidental beneficiary in these (West Bengal Assembly) polls,” Chowdhury said.

Mamata not the only regional leader to defeat the BJP: Chowdhury

“It’s true that she has put up a fight against the BJP and its election machinery. It’s a magnificent victory, no doubt about it. But at the same time, she is not the only regional leader who has defeated the BJP… Arvind Kejriwal, Lalu Prasad Yadav, M K Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan, too, have done the same. So, saying that she is the only (credible opposition) face (who could take on the BJP’s might) would be an injustice to others,” he said.

Stressing that he does not have any personal animosity with Mamata Banerjee, Chowdhury said that the opposition’s proposed grand alliance against the BJP will not succeed without the participation of the Congress party as it is still the biggest opposition party in the country with a pan-India presence.

Commenting on his party’s dismal performance in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, Chowdhury said that the polls were ‘completely polarised along communal and regional lines’, but hoped that his party will revive soon. He also commented on the exit of Abhijit Mukherjee, the son of late President Pranab Mukherjee saying – his departure won’t have any impact.