'BJP cannot fight where regional parties are strong': Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Amidst calls for all opposition parties to "unite" ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that wherever regional parties which are "strong" the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "cannot" fight there.

“People are antagonized, democratic rights are being bulldozed. The wrestlers are also not spared. Whoever is strong in every region should fight. In Bihar, in Odisha, in Bengal, in Chennai, in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana the strong parties should be given priority. Wherever the Congress is strong we will support them. No issues with it but they should also reciprocate. If you want to get some good things, you must sacrifice something in some areas,” said Mamata.

'Not allowed to even speak' at Opposition party meets

Asked whether she is going to participate in the all opposition parties meeting at the end of this month to which the Chief Minister said that she is not aware of it.

“There is a Niti Ayog meeting on May 27 at Delhi and I will be attending that. I am going to raise the issues of the state. I am allowed to speak at the end also because 9W) comes at the end and sometimes I am not even allowed to speak,"Mamata added.

'Debacle in Karnataka was no surprise', says BJP's Tathagata Roy

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Tripura and Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy taking to Twitter said that the poll debacle of saffron camp in Karnataka is almost similar to the debacle in West Bengal during 2021 Assembly elections.

“The debacle in Karnataka was no surprise, but let this be a lesson for 2024. West Bengal was lost in 2021 because 1. Its charge was given to a bunch of corrupt and inept womanizers, 2. Bengal's connection with BJP was never emphasized...,” said the veteran politician in one of his tweets.