New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday borrowed from Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take a swipe on the Congress forward of a Lok Sabha election due in lower than two months, declaring “I pray it can save you no less than 40 seats”. The Prime Minister was within the Rajya Sabha to participate within the Movement of Thanks dialogue on President Droupadi Murmu’s tackle to Parliament.

“The challenged has come from West Bengal… that the Congress will be unable to cross 40 (seats),” Mr Modi chuckled to a soundtrack of BJP MPs thumping desks, “I pray it can save you no less than 40”.

Ms Banerjee – whose relationship with the Congress and the party-led INDIA bloc is near collapsing over a seat-sharing row – final week doubted the Congress’ capability to win “even 40 seats”.

READ | Doubt Congress Will Get “Even 40 Seats” In Lok Sabha Polls: Mamata Banerjee

The Congress has slumped to catastrophic defeats prior to now two normal elections, successful 72 seats within the 2014 ballot and solely 44 5 years later. For distinction, in 2009 the occasion gained 206 seats.

Her remarks adopted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s declare that seat-sharing talks are ongoing.

Questioned over the Bengal chief’s obvious distancing from the INDIA bloc, Mr Gandhi indicated he stays optimistic an settlement between the 2 events continues to be doable. “Neither Mamataji nor Congress has come out of the alliance… Mamataji is saying she is (nonetheless) within the alliance,” he mentioned.

The Bengal Chief Minister responded with a scathing assault on Mr Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ – which has visited six districts because it marches to Maharashtra – and in contrast the foot march to a “mere picture alternative” for “migratory birds”, one aimed toward dividing minority votes within the state.

“I proposed Congress contest 300 seats… however they refused. Now, they’ve arrived within the state to fire up Muslim voters. (Now) I doubt whether or not they’ll safe even 40 seats in the event that they contested 300.”

Ms Banerjee then dared the Congress to tackle and defeat the BJP in Hindi heartland states just like the politically essential Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh; these ship 134 MPs to the Lok Sabha and are dominated by the BJP, which dumped the Congress out of the latter two in November.

Trinamool-Congress ties are almost at breaking level on account of disagreements over dividing Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha seats between themselves and Left events, that are additionally INDIA members.

Final month Ms Banerjee declared her occasion will contest all 42 by itself, and solely take into account an INDIA alliance after the election outcomes, indicating her mistrust within the bloc’s capability to problem the BJP.

READ | “No Tie-Up With Congress”: Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal Twist Stuns INDIA

“I had no discussions with Congress. I’ve at all times mentioned that in Bengal, we’ll combat alone. I gave them (the Congress) many proposals… however they rejected them. I’m not involved about what will likely be performed within the (remainder of the) nation… however we’re secular and, in Bengal, we alone will defeat BJP,” she mentioned.

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