West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, dismissing her allegations about ‘illegal houses’ in Gujarat and rejecting claims that her recent Kolkata protest drew mass support. Ghosh asserted that neither the party’s MPs nor MLAs turned up at the gathering, calling it ‘forced’ rather than spontaneous.

Ghosh's counter on Gujarat 'illegal houses' claim

Reacting to Banerjee’s assertion that 70 per cent of houses in Gujarat are illegal, Ghosh questioned the basis of her remarks. ‘Did she go and check it herself whether it is legal or illegal? Their own house is illegal; keep this in mind first,’ he said.

'Forced gathering', says Bengal Minister

Targeting the protest meeting held in Kolkata, Ghosh said the turnout was neither voluntary nor significant. ‘It wasn’t massive; it was forced. Neither the party’s MPs nor MLAs attended. Only those with no other place to go, people enjoying privileges, were present,’ he remarked.

In another swipe at the Trinamool leadership, Ghosh added, ‘Those people who used to abuse our leaders by taking their names are now the same ones who are garlanding them and offering prayers. Time does change, but the public knows what all they have done. When the public evaluates and judges, that will be right. Who are we to decide otherwise?’

Mamata's 'do-or-die' pitch against BJP

The remarks came after Banerjee addressed a protest organised against what she described as attacks on Trinamool workers following the Assembly election verdict that brought the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in West Bengal. ‘For us, it’s a do-or-die battle,’ Banerjee said, surrounded by supporters raising slogans against the BJP.

‘Some people are betraying us to break the Trinamool Congress. Anti-BJP parties will meet in Delhi to decide on our country-wide course of action,’ she added, signalling a renewed push to stitch together an opposition front.

Banerjee invokes Basu, Bhattacharjee

Banerjee also alleged that she was facing an unprecedented situation after losing power, claiming former chief ministers Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee never had to face protests outside their homes after electoral defeats. She arrived at the protest venue after her party’s request for its preferred location was denied. ‘We were not given permission to set up a stage or use microphones,’ she said.

What's next

Banerjee asserted she would stand by party workers despite the political setback and would not abandon them even if other leaders chose to leave. With the proposed anti-BJP huddle in Delhi on the horizon, the coming weeks will test whether the TMC can reposition itself as a national opposition pole or remain locked in a defensive battle within West Bengal.