Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday, January 20, said if Congress fails to dislodge the BJP from power in the next month's Goa Assembly elections, Congress Goa election in-charge P Chidambaram should take the responsibility.
Banerjee said TMC had approached Chidambaram with a formal offer for a pre-poll alliance for the February 14 Goa polls.
"When we arrived here, parties like Congress and AAP raised questions like (if) TMC was trying to divide anti-BJP votes. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had given a call for like-minded people to ally. MGP (Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party) came forward and formed an alliance (with TMC) but the rest of the parties were busy propagating that TMC is dividing votes," Abhishek said.
The TMC leader alleged that Chidambaram was "misleading people to serve his party's interest".
"Chidambaram said that TMC never made an offer (for alliance). TMC national vice president Pawan Varma made it clear that he went to Chidambaram's house on December 24 at 1.30 pm with the offer," Banerjee said.
"He says there was no concrete offer from TMC. Varma has said that he went to Chidambaram's house and requested him that we should come together keeping our egos aside for the sake of Goans," the TMC leader added.
"If he (Chidambaram) fails to defeat the BJP, he should be the first to resign....he should tell the world that he accepts responsibility," Banerjee further said.
He also said that Congress, which is asking people to give it a chance to rule the state, had emerged as the single largest party in 2017, but could not keep its flock together and 80 per cent of its MLAs defected.
In the 2017 Assembly polls, Congress had won 17 seats in the tiny coastal state to emerge as the single largest party. However, the BJP, which was in second place in terms of seats, quickly stitched an alliance with smaller parties and Independent MLAs to form its government in Goa.
The election for the 40 seats will take place on February 14, and the ballots will be counted on March 10.