The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sharply criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement that she will not resign following her party's defeat in the state assembly elections. BJP leaders accused her of undermining democratic traditions and challenged her to approach the Supreme Court if she believes there were irregularities in the electoral process.
Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress (TMC) lost to the BJP by a wide margin, alleged that the Election Commission (EC) colluded with the BJP to defeat her party. She declared that she would not resign, claiming moral victory despite the official results.
State BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar remarked, "She is only making herself a laughing stock. She is free to approach the Supreme Court over the poll outcome." He emphasized that the legal recourse is available if she has any genuine grievances.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra went further, calling Banerjee's stance an attack on the Constitution and democracy. "This is concerning because in the democracy of India, there is a beauty in the fact that since Independence, such a situation has never arisen where two parties get entangled with each other in this manner. Very respectfully, with dignity, when a Chief Minister or Prime Minister loses, the party that loses resigns, and the transfer of power has always taken place in a peaceful manner in India over the past 75 years," Patra said.
He added, "But today, what Mamata Banerjee has said and done, I must say with regret that this tradition of India has been hurt. This is not an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party; this is an attack on democracy. This is an attack on the Constitution of India, the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar. However, Mamata Banerjee is saying that she has not lost and will not resign. This reflects a sense of entitlement and anarchy. This is a story of disorder and entitlement."
Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Banerjee from the Bhabanipur constituency, also reacted to her statement, saying, "Everything is mentioned in the Constitution. I need not say much."
Banerjee, addressing a press conference in Kolkata, said, "I will not resign, I did not lose, I will not go to Raj Bhavan... The question doesn't arise. No. Now, I also want to say that we didn't lose the election. It is their attempt to defeat us. Officially, through the Election Commission, they can defeat us, but morally we won the election."
