Mamata Banerjee calls for Opposition's unity, will meet Odisha CM

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee yet again called for Opposition-unity to fight the Narendra Modi led BJP government at the centre. Banerjee, who is on a three day tour to Odisha, has sought an appointment to meet Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

Banerjee was in Bhubaneswar to meet arrested MP of Trinamool Congres Sudip Bandyopadhyay. The veteran MP is ailing and admitted in a private hospital there. After offering Puja in Puri’s Jagannath temple, Banerjee said that she had been trying hard to get all regional parties together to fight BJP. “All regional parties should come together and stay united to fight BJP. I have sought an appointment of Naveen ji. Tomorrow, if I get an appointment, would meet him.”

Reacting to BJP’s entry to eastern states, Banerjee said, “If they look East, I will turn my eyes to Delhi. Will they be able to handle that? I am not saying that other parties should not expand in states. It is their democratic right. But there has to be a proper way. The party at cente is not able to handle Delhi, but they are moving across the country. This is too much.”

In her response to the incident in Jagannath temple in Puri, where she had to face agitation by a ‘Sevayet’ for supporting beef-eating, Mamata said, “BJP is doing politics everywhere. I am an actual Hindu. Hindutva teaches one to be tolerant. BJP is the blotch on the name of Hindutva.”