TMC to 'pounce' if Modi govt did not work as pro-people govt

, May 30:

, which has 34 MPs in Lok Sabha, will keep a watch on the performance of the

government and if it functioned in a pro-people manner the party would appraise it and if it did not, it would 'pounce' on it.

"We are always constructive and not negative. If people's interests are harmed, we will pounce. If we see that it (the Narendra Modi government) is working for the good of the people, we will see and discuss," Banerjee was quoted by party insiders at a closed door party meeting here. "We are not like the CPI(M)," she said. Banerjee who had a vitriolic war of words with Modi during campaigning had sent party's general secretary Mukul Roy and state finance minister Amit Mitra to the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 26.

Denied of any relief from the UPA-II government, Banerjee last Monday had pinned hopes on the BJP government for a positive response on the state's huge debt repayment problem. Despite repeated meetings with the earlier UPA government on moratorium on repayment of the state's debt, the TMC government had failed to exact any assurance. Banerjee also blamed the Congress for the BJP's ascent to power.

"After we quit the government, the bad days of Congress began. They did not trust anyone (ally) or take them into confidence and went on taking anti-people measures like FDI in retail, lowering the cap of subsidised LPG cylinders and raising the prices of petrol, diesel and fertilisers despite our opposition," she said.

Stating that good performance of the state government was rewarded by the people which led to the party winning 34 of the 42 seats in West Bengal, she said "It is a unique achievement. "Ours is a 15-year-old party. Never before did we fight against so many forces and canards and a vilification campaign. We fought against CPI(M), Congress, BJP and the media. We fought against 'Haridas' (a nobody) and 'Daladas' (a slave of a party."

She also alleged that black money was used in the Lok Sabha elections and that media had been bought. Banerjee who effected a major organisational reshuffle during the day said that a plan of action had to be chalked up immediately for the assembly election in 2016 and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election next year.

PTI