The CPI-M on Monday ridiculed Trinamul Congress chief’s “so called” attempt to forge of third front with the help of some regional parties and charged that she is actually working to scuttle the nationwide move to form an alliance against the BJP.

CPI(M) Member of Parliament and politburo member Mohammad Salim on Monday criticised West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee saying that her attempts to put up a Third Front would also strengthen BJP in West Bengal.

He said that Monday’s meeting between Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at state administrative headquarters Nabanna to build efforts for formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP third front before 2019 Lok Sabha elections is nothing but an eye wash.

Mr Salim alleged that chief minister Mamata Banerjee always tried to fizzle out any political platform against BJP-RSS combine.

Referring to Mamata’s call for all the Opposition parties to unite against the BJP, Mr Salim said, “When we had asked for a political front to be put up, she had quit Congress and joined the BJP. Now when the time is to fight strongly against the BJP, she is trying to build a front because she intends to divide the Opposition votes,” Mr Salim said.

The CPI-M MP said that TMC chief was the one who had given entry to BJP in West Bengal and helping the RSS to strengthen its network.

“After the demolition of Babri Masjid, it is the TMC who had joined hands with the BJP. They had formed an alliance with them even after the Gujarat riots. Now they have got their senses back but it is too late. The enlightenment should have come long back,” he said.

Mr Salim also said in any formation of the third front there should be a unity of all political parties to support burning issues like preventing farmers’ suicide, demanding arrest of the bank scam cases’ culprits, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

“No such agenda has been fixed by the TMC chief. So this kind of third front means that a gang of political opportunist parties are uniting themselves for vested poltical gain,” he said.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, on the other hand, alleged that Mamata was looking for help from the Opposition parties to fight against BJP.

“She knows that TMC’s days are numbered in West Bengal and thus she is going soft on the CPI(M), even, taking the help of any party because she would need any party including the CPI(M) and the Congress to fight against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

PCC chief, Adhir Chowdhury said on Monday that coaltions like Third Front or Federal Front have been tried and tested in national politics and have been found wanting.

He was reacting to Telengana chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao meeting chief minister, Mamata Banerjee during the day to explore the possibilities of a colation against BJP-led NDA in the parliamentary elections scheduled tbe next year.

Only a Congress-led front can take on the BJP, Chowdhury said. Any other coaltion will be like a bubble that floats in the air and then dissolves, he added.