TMC doesn't need Cong to win polls in Bengal, still part of INDIA bloc: Abhishek Banerjee

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday said his party does not need the Congress to win elections in West Bengal, while asserting that it is still a part of the INDIA bloc.

In an interaction with the media here, the TMC leader said any decision on an alliance with the Congress will be taken by party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Asked about the possibility of an alliance with the Congress ahead of next year's West Bengal Assembly polls, Banerjee said, "I have said this before -- when the party takes a decision, you will get to know. As of now, the Congress has nothing in Bengal that we need or it can offer to us." "In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, they won two seats, we extended an offer, they refused, and the results are there for everyone to see -- they were reduced from two seats to one. What happens next will depend entirely on what Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decides," he said.

The TMC leader stressed that his party does not need the Congress to win polls.

"The Trinamool Congress does not need the Congress to win (elections). We have fought and won (polls) on our own in 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024, and with every election, we have only grown stronger. We do not depend on anyone, we are capable of winning on our own. Our focus is on ensuring that the report card of development reaches every household in Bengal," he said.

Asked about the TMC not attending a meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Tuesday, Banerjee said the party continues to be a part of the opposition formation.

"The TMC is very much a part of the INDIA bloc. There is no space for any kind of confusion or ambiguity," he said.

The TMC leader said they could not attend Tuesday's meeting as a delegation of party MPs had gone to meet Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil.

"We will first prioritise the issues that concern the interests of the people of Bengal and then address other issues," Banerjee said. PTI AO RC