Launching a frontal attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made it clear that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) would never support Narendra Modi, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Atul Kumar Anjan on Saturday said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has converted into National Communal Alliance (NCA) with the Gujarat Chief Minister's despicable and divisive comments.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party started with 24 parties and they formed the National Democratic Alliance. Later on what happened (that) everybody has seen? Now, the NDA means two parties, the BJP and Shiv Sena. These are the two parties having identical views and so now the NDA is not a functional alliance or structure," said Anjan.
"In fact, after Modi's utterances about puppies, about the 'burqa of secularism', I think the NDA has converted into NCA means National Communal Alliance. And I don't know that in this multi-cultured, multi-lingual, multi-religious country how many parties will associate with them," he added.
The CPI leader also used the occasion to take potshots at Mamata Banerjee, saying she is the most inconsistent political leader.
"And as far as Mamata Banerjee is concerned, one doesn't know what stand she takes. She is the most inconsistent political leader and she had been with the NDA and she has enjoyed the company of the BJP and RSS," he said.
Addressing a panchayat election rally at Rampurhat in West Bengal's Birbhum district yesterday, Banerjee said that the TMC does not support Modi at the present, nor will it support him in the future.
More From This Section
"UPA has been ruling for ten years but during this time they did not mention anything about Narendra Modi. Now, when the election is round the corner, they are attacking him... Congress and BJP are engaged in a game of compromise," she said.
With its agenda as good governance versus bad governance, the BJP yesterday announced the formation of 20 panels to focus on various aspects of electioneering for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls under Modi's leadership.
BJP leader Ananth Kumar, who announced the list of 20 campaign committees, said they will be steered under Modi's leadership.
Kumar said senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and party chief Rajnath Singh will oversee the functioning of central poll panel, which is headed by Modi.