Time for BJP to pack up and go, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee; meets Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena and TRS MPs in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: Coming down heavily on the NDA-led Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said issues like demonetisation and bank frauds have affected people at the grassroot level and that it was time for the BJP to "pack up and go".

She asserted that all opposition parties should work together to oust the saffron party.

Reacting on the leaked election dates of Karnataka Assembly polls, Banerjee said all institutions were becoming BJP institutions as the saffron party was "using and misusing" multiple agencies.

BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya earlier today tweeted the date of the Karnataka Assembly polls before the Election Commission announced it, prompting the panel to describe the leak as a "very serious issue" that merited a probe and stringent action.

The TMC supremo told reporters here, "We want all opposition parties to work together. We should help the strongest opposition party in state to fight the BJP. It should be one fight".

Mamata met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in New Delhi, on Tuesday.

The meeting was speculated to have discussed forming an Opposition front against the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Banerjee also met Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, later in the day. Notably, BJP's embittered ally in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has announced to break the alliance before the general elections 2019.

"When political people meet then, of course, they will discuss politics, there is nothing to hide in that. The Lok Sabha election of 2019 will certainly be very interesting," Banerjee told reporters after the meeting.

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West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee met Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in #Delhi. pic.twitter.com/vfofyHGgxZ

— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2018

Although Banerjee is also scheduled to attend a dinner meet hosted by Pawar, the latter had brushed off such reports earlier in the day saying, "There is no meeting, there is no dinner."

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The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief's visit to the national capital is being seen as a bid to assemble forces against the BJP, in the run up to the 2019 general elections. 

"People are against the BJP. I have travelled to all the states. I know the mood of the people. Issues like demonetisation, GST, bank fraud have affected people even at the grassroot level. The time has come for this BJP to pack up and go," she said.

The West Bengal chief minister will also meet rebel BJP leaders Shatrughan Sinha, Yashwant Sinha and former Union minister Arun Shourie on Wednesday.

(with inputs from agencies)