Mamata Banerjee Comes Out in Support of SP-BSP Alliance, Lauds Chandrababu Naidu

New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday extended her support to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, who asserted that her party's understanding with the Samajwadi Party (SP) would not be affected by the defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls and that she would not allow the BJP's "design" to create a rift between the two parties to succeed.

Soon after Mayawati hinted that the tie-up with Akhilesh Yadav would continue for 2019 Lok Sabha election, Banerjee tweeted to say that she was “strongly with her". “I welcome the views expressed by Mayawati ji today. We are strongly with her and @yadavakhilesh in this mission for the nation," she wrote.

Banerjee’s tweet comes amid her efforts to cobble up a “federal front" of regional parties in the Opposition camp to take on the BJP in the next general election. She has already spoken with DMK leader MK Stalin, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackaray and TRS chief and Telengana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to build a united opposition.

Her party Trinamool Congress is coordinating with TDP, TRS, BSP and SP and others over the past month.

Mayawati’s statement would be a welcome boost for Banerjee as this is the first time she has openly hinted that the tie-up that started as a quid pro quo for the Lok Sabha bypolls and Rajya Sabha election could be a long-term partnership.

Mamata also criticised the BJP-led central government for its stand on Andhra Pradesh, saying it bulldozed states to show them that it was doing a favour by giving funds.

Her statement came in the wake of BJP president Amit Shah's letter to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the latter hitting back at him.

Extending her support to Naidu, Banerjee tweeted, "I appreciate that Chandrababu Naidu Ji @ncbn has stated the facts. Very good. There are many so called leaders who spread lies. They make this a habit. They try and bulldoze States and show that they are doing the States a favour by giving funds. This is fake federalism (sic)."

Shah, in his letter to Naidu, had said the latter's "unilateral" decision to quit the NDA was for "political considerations and not development".