Mamata-Modi verbal spat only to gain political mileage: Left

The Left Front Wednesday claimed that the ongoing war of words between BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress was the result of a "tacit understanding" between the two parties for deriving electoral mileage.

"It is now clear that the way both have been unleashing attacks at each other are a result of understanding between the BJP and the Trinamool aimed at deriving political advantage for the polls," said its chairman Biman Bose.

Ridiculing the Trinamool for attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party for the February 2002 Gujarat riot after 12 years, Bose said: "Mamata Banerjee had sent flowers to Gujarat Chief Minister Modi in July 2002, to congratulate him for his victory in the assembly polls."

"The BJP and the Trinamool are trying to create a communal polarisation in West Bengal. The war of words is nothing but a got up between the two parties."

Iterating that the Trinamool had not regarded the BJP as "untouchable" when they tied up for the Lok Sabha polls in 1998, 1999 and 2004, and the state assembly elections in 2006, Bose said: "Now Banerjee is shedding crocodile tears for the victims of Gujarat riots."

Banerjee has been strongly criticising Modi through the ongoing Lok Sabha poll campaign. Modi in turn has accused her of joining hands with union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to save the Saradha scamsters and questioned about the sale of her painting allegedly fot Rs 1.80 crore. She has also charged her with ruining the state by indulging in vote-bank politics.

Bose claimed that the BJP endorsed by big corporate houses has been spending record amount of money for the elections.