Kolkata: Sparking new speculation over the Left Front and Congress alliance, Abbas Siddiqui, Furfura Serif cleric and Chief of Indian Secular Front (ISF) from Kolkata’s Brigade Parade ground urged the people to go all out to support the Left Front’s candidate and claimed that the Left Front leaders have accepted all his demands.
“I have come here to join the alliance and not for appeasement. The CPI (M) leaders Biman Basu, Md. Selim has agreed to give us 30 seats. The Congress yet to comment on it, if the Congress wants to do friendship with me I am open to it,” mentioned Abbas addressing a public rally at Brigade Parade ground organised by the Left-Congress alliance.
Interestingly, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had to stop his speech in between as Abbas Siddiqui walked up the dais. All the Left Front leaders were seen standing to welcome the Furfura Serif cleric.
Slamming the ruling Trinamool Congress, Abbas claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s party is the team ‘B’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Mamata Banerjee will be completely wiped off after the Assembly polls. I am challenging that the alliance will form the next West Bengal government. Neither the TMC nor the BJP will come to power,” mentioned Abbas.
According to several poll analysts, this move where Abbas had shown disrespect to the Congress publicly might make the alliance ‘weak’.
“The Left Front and the Congress are in talks over the seat sharing ratio for a long time. There are few seats still pending where both the parties didn’t come out clear. With inclusion of ISF and its chief Abba Siddiqui maligning the Congress publicly might lead to breaking up of the alliance as Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is a very senior politician,” mentioned the analysts.
Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in the parliament Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that since there was a commotion during his speech he had to stop in between.
“It is a fight for democracy. We still didn’t finalise our seat sharing ratio with the Left Front. So how can we finalise seats with ISF? Our leader Abdul Mannan is holding talks with ISF,” mentioned the West Bengal Congress president.
Notably, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Left Front national general secretary Sitaram Yechury along with other Left Front West Bengal leaders spoke at the rally maligning the ruling TMC and the saffron camp.
Slamming the Left-Congress alliance , Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) mayor, Firhad Hakim stated that ahead of the polls the alliance might break and also that with ‘internal dispute’ the alliance cannot serve people.
