By Suryagni Roy: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee show of support for the Congress after its victory in Karnataka hasn’t gone unquestioned. West Bengal Congress leader Somen Roy Chowdhury on Wednesday wrote to Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar, attacking Mamata Banerjee for “destroying the party in West Bengal”.

Roy Chowdhury’s letter came after Mamata Banerjee’s show of support to the Congress for the 2024 general election, after its massive win in the Karnataka Assembly polls.

Congress’s Karnataka unit chief DK Shivakumar had welcomed Mamata’s overtures.

In a strongly worded mail to DK Shivakumar, Roy Chowdhury stated that Mamata Banerjee had destroyed the Congress in West Bengal. “We strongly protest, she has always used the Congress party for her personal gains. Time to time, she has attacked our supreme leaders and did all she could to destroy the party,” wrote Roy Chowdhury.

Notably, Mamata had recently displayed a rare show of support to Congress, saying the TMC would support it if the grand old party reciprocated in the same manner.

Shivakumar had welcomed Mamata’s remarks while speaking to media in Bengaluru recently.

Chowdhury further claimed that Congress workers in Bengal wouldn’t accept an alliance with “political traitor Mamata Banerjee”. Various Congress leaders in Bengal have shown their opposition to any probable alliance with TMC ahead of the 2024 election, he said.

Also Read: Despite Mamata Banerjee’s support, Congress vows to fight Trinamool in Bengal

Earlier, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had said that the Congress would continue to fight the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal even as Mamata Banerjee softened her stance.

“Today Congress has won. Mamata Banerjee thinks she won’t be able to go forward without an understanding with the Congress. Have we heard her say vote for the Congress before the Karnataka elections? In the run-up to the elections, she never appealed to the people of Karnataka to vote for the Congress,” Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Choudhury said.

Talking about Opposition unity after Karnataka poll results were declared, Mamata Banerjee had said that the Congress was strong in 200 seats, according to TMC’s calculation. Talking about the power dynamics in Uttar Pradesh, she said, “Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party is strong in UP so we should support it. However, I am not saying the Congress should not fight there. We can discuss all that.”

Mamata Banerjee proposed that the Opposition in India should unite and support the party that is strong in its respective state.

Also Read: Why Congress-baiter Mamata had a change of heart