New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) The BJP and CPI-M on Tuesday criticised the Trinamool Congress, calling it a ‘coward’ and ‘runaway’ party after its candidate Jahangir Khan pulled out of the Falta constituency repoll in Bengal. However, the Samajwadi Party, which is Trinamool’s ally in the INDIA bloc, backed the decision.

On the last day of campaigning for the repoll on Tuesday, Khan announced: “I am not contesting this election.”

Reacting to the same, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said: “Trinamool is a cowardly, runaway and surrender-minded party. Their candidate withdrew after seeing the public mood and the kind of sentiment that prevailed during the Bengal elections.”

“They could have only won the Assembly election by scaring the people, but could not,” he told IANS.

CPI-M leader Hannan Mollah mentioned that it requires a fight to ensure development.

“Development will not happen by running away from the struggle. Our party is small, and we are facing attacks every day, yet we have fielded our candidate. Whatever the result may be, it is important to protest against injustice,” he told IANS.

He added, “But their (Trinamool) way is different. When times are good, they stand in front, and when times are bad, they run away. That is the character of the Trinamool Congress.”

According to Indian Secular Front (ISF) leader Naushad Siddiqui, there could be three reasons behind Jahangir Khan’s withdrawal.

“One is that he himself backed off. Second could be, he is giving a green signal to the BJP that he is working for them and hence providing them an easy victory. The third can be an internal conflict within the Trinamool Congress,” he said.

ISF leader Siddiqui highlighted that it has not even been a month since the Trinamool was defeated in the Assembly polls, and now no one is willing to contest the repoll.

“If he (Khan) had contested the poll, he would have been placed at fourth or fifth, which, in turn, would have been a great humiliation for the party (Trinamool), ” he added.

However, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader S. T. Hasan supported the decision of the Trinamool Congress candidate.

He, in fact, urged Opposition parties to boycott further elections.

Speaking to IANS, S T Hasan said: “There is no relevance of elections left anymore. The polls are being forged, and the Election Commission has itself been reduced to a political party.”

“Then what is the point of conducting polls? BJP can unanimously declare itself as the winner,” the SP leader asserted.

“Therefore, he (Khan) would have been definitely defeated in the repoll,” he claimed.

–IANS

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