'Want BJP to become zero': Mamata Banerjee after meeting Nitish, Tejashwi in Howrah

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she wants the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become zero in the next general election in 2024. She said this after meeting her counterpart from Bihar Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav. 

Nitish Kumar, who recently held talks with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, met Mamata Banerjee in Howrah in a bid to unite the opposition parties ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls.

The closed-door meeting was held to strategise on fighting the saffron party, which looks firmly in control as of now. After meeting the visiting leaders, Banerjee said: "We will go ahead together. We have no personal ego, we want to work together collectively."

The chief minister, who returned to power in the state for the third consecutive term, said she made just one request to Nitish Kumar.

"Jayaprakash ji's movement started from Bihar. If we have an all-party meeting in Bihar, we can then decide where we have to go next," she said. "But first of all, we have to give a message that we are united. I have said earlier too that I have no objections. I want BJP to become zero. They have become a big hero with the media's support and lies."

Nitish Kumar, who was earlier with the BJP but switched sides in August last year, slammed the central government saying it had done nothing for the development of the country. He said he held talks with the TMC chief, especially about the coming together of all parties and making all preparations ahead of the upcoming Parliament elections.

"Whatever will be done next, will be done in the nation's interest. Those who are ruling now, have nothing to do. They are just doing their own publicity. Nothing is being done for the nation's development," the Bihar chief minister said.

According to PTI, the leaders in the meeting sought to form a coalition of opposition parties, with TMC and Bihar's Mahagathbandhan stressing the need to "prepare together" a blueprint for the next Lok Sabha polls. "It was a very positive discussion...Opposition parties need to sit together and strategise," Kumar said.

All three leaders deliberated on how they would proceed in sewing together a coalition that would be workable ahead of the elections, the report said.

Commenting on the meeting between Nitish and Mamata, BJP's Amit Malviya said: "Is Nitish Kumar doing anything for Bihar as the CM? He met Mamata Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee met Arvind Kejriwal. Arvind Kejriwal met Sharad Pawar. The Opposition can carry on with this series of meetings. But who is the leader of the Opposition? What are its policies? What are they thinking for the country? There is no discussion on this." 

He said if the Opposition wanted to fight the 2024 elections only with the basic mantra of "Modi hatao" then naturally they won't get public support. "The country is emerging as an economic superpower, and at such a time the Opposition has neither a leader nor intentions or policy. Why will the people support them?" Malviya asked.