In the wake of BJP patriarch L.K. Advani's comments on the emergency, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday said there was a "communication gap" within the saffron party.Participating on a live interactive session on a TV channel, Banerjee also slammed the Narendra Modi-led central government for weakening the country's federal structure.Commenting on the 40th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency, Advani has said that "forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the constitutional and legal safeguards, are stronger"."Advani ji has subsequently said his comments were misinterpreted, that is their internal matter I should not interfere. But I feel, there is a communication gap within the BJP.
"Through media reports, I came to know that Advani ji was not invited to a programme on emergency," said Banerjee referring to a programme organised to felicitate those who fought against Emergency. The programme was held at Delhi's Mavalankar Hall on Thursday and attended by BJP president Amit Shah among other leaders."I don't want to interfere in their internal matter but the public realise that there is a communication gap, a coordination gap," said Banerjee.She also accused the Modi government of weakening the federal structure of the country."We have our ideological difference with the BJP and it will continue. It is our constitutional obligation to coordinate with the central government and we will do that but the BJP government is unnecessarily interfering in our work and weakening the federal structure.
"The BJP government is interfering in our affairs in every field, and I feel this is not done," said Banerjee.She also reiterated her party's opposition to the Land Acquisition Bill."We are not supporting the Land Bill, as regards supporting the GST bill, we did that because it was in our manifesto," she said.Banerjee also said even if the Communist Party of India-Marxist forged alliances both the BJP and the Congress, its revival was not possible.Speculations of a possible tie up with the Congress was rife after CPI-M leader Gautam Deb said the Left Front was not in a position to defeat and needed to walk the extra mile to defeat the Banerjee regime."This is nothing new for the CPI-M, they have aligned with the Congress earlier as well. It was the atrocities that they perpetrated in name of communism, that led to their demise. Even if the BJP Congress and the CPI-M come together, CPI-M's resurrection is not possible because the people have disowned them," added Banerjee.