Two days after he was appointed general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, Abhishek Banerjee said on Monday that his aim was to spread the footprint of the party across the country.
Speaking to journalists at the Trinamool Congress headquarters, Mr. Banerjee said that the party had got congratulatory messages from every State in the country after it defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party in the West Bengal Assembly polls.
“We received around one lakh emails from people across India thanking the TMC for defeating the BJP. We will take the BJP head-on in every State where the TMC builds its foundation,” he said.
Mr. Banerjee did not name the States, but said if the Trinamool Congress intended to set up a unit in any State, it would not be about winning one or two MLAs. The party would like to come to power in the State
The Diamond Harbour MP responded to questions whether his elevation as general secretary indicated the rise of dynasty politics in the State. “Dynasty can be better than being nasty. If the Union government passes a law that no second person from a family will occupy a public post, I will accept it. Can the BJP pass such a resolution?” said Mr Banerjee.
He referred to Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, holding the post of secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India and said he himself would not occupy any post in government for the next 20 years. He was not the Number 2 in the party, only an ordinary worker who had been the youth president for the past six years and had now assumed the role of the party’s general secretary.
The 33-year-old leader said he was meeting veterans of the party and seeking their guidance.
Later in the evening, Mr. Banerjee visited the residence of TMC leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Banerjee.
