Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday mocked the BJP in the backdrop of the questions raised about the third Narendra Modi government’s longevity vis-a-vis the saffron camp’s claims a month back that victory in over 30 Lok Sabha segments in Bengal would fell the Mamata Banerjee dispensation.

The Trinamool Congress national general secretary said he couldn’t answer questions on the plans of the INDIA before leaders of the anti-BJP bloc met in Delhi on Wednesday evening.

He left for New Delhi in the afternoon to attend the INDIA meeting convened by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge after Mamata Banerjee had been formally intimated on Tuesday evening about the session.

Asked how stable he thought the third edition of the Narendra Modi government would be given the BJP’s inability to get past the majority mark on its own and the unreliability of the TDP and the JDU as allies, the 36-year-old said: “In your question lies the answer.”

“A month back, these people from the BJP were flying down to Bengal, lecturing the people… ‘give us 30 seats and this government will not survive’. Now see the irony, you are asking me if the NDA government will survive,” he told reporters at the Calcutta airport. “Never underestimate the power of the common man.”

Abhishek led the campaign from the front with 72 outings this summer in addition to Mamata’s 107 in the state and was instrumental in ensuring the victory of 29 Trinamool MPs — the number could easily have been higher by three, according to their internal estimates — and the party’s emergence as the third largest in the non-BJP space nationally.

Despite appearing for the Trinamool news conference on Tuesday alongside the Bengal chief minister, Abhishek was silent during, before, and after, except for a triumphant post on X.

On Wednesday, asked a wide range of questions — from whether INDIA would at all attempt forming the next Union government to the possible power-sharing formula between the allies — Abhishek said he wasn’t going to be the only one to attend the meeting and that it was too early to talk about the bloc’s plans.

“The deliberation has not even started… many parties will come. Let the meeting take place first, then I will answer every question you might have,” said the three-term Diamond Harbour MP, who retained his seat with over 68.47 per cent of the votes and a victory margin of nearly 7.11 lakh. He said he was going with a positive mindset.

“Let all INDIA leaders meet first… too early to say anything about our plans. Let us come to some conclusion first,” he added.

Samajwadi President Akhilesh Yadav, Ramgopal Yadav, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, NCP leader Supriya Sule and AAP's Raghav Chadha at the INDIA bloc leaders’ meeting, in New Delhi PTI

Asked about Trinamool’s position as a “kingmaker” at the Centre, Abhishek said none other than the people could be deemed a kingmaker.

“Those who voted against the BJP’s tyranny, price rise, communal and divisive politics… each and every poor person who went and pressed that button to vote was the actual kingmaker,” he said.

On Wednesday, Abhishek suggested that journalists should ask Modi at the swearing-in ceremony — since he doesn’t participate in news conferences — what happened to his “Abki Baar 400 Paar (This time, past 400)” slogan, jeering at the saffron camp for the NDA combine’s failure to get past even 300.

“I hereby ask each and every central BJP leader, rather humbly request them to make such predictions for every Bengal polls, because ultimately what they predict works out for us…. You claimed 200 paar (in the Assembly elections of 2021), we got 215. You said 30 seats this time, we got 29. I am truly grateful to them for these forecasts,” said the MP, tongue firmly in cheek.

On whether the hounding or silencing of political opponents by the BJP was a factor in the mandate, he said it was a culmination of everything.

“What has that government ever done? Do they ever furnish report cards of the development work done? They failed to deliver. That is why they resorted to only divisive and communal politics, and the people gave them a befitting reply,” he said.

“So I salute and bow before everyone who uprooted these communal forces, who also misused everything from central agencies to the media, constitutional institutions to a section of the judiciary to bulldoze opponents… and the federal structure,” added Abhishek. “It’s a lesson for them. A Prime Minister or a (Union) home minister won’t have the last word. The common man will.”

Asked specifically about the body blow to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh (with 80 Lok Sabha seats where the NDA was reduced to 36 from 64 in 2019), Abhishek said it showed further how popular rage was at its peak.

“You (the saffron regime) made the Ram temple an agenda throughout the country, claiming that you brought the deity to the temple…” he said. The temple apparently failed to find takers as the BJP’s foremost poll plank even in the northern state where it is situated, even in the constituency of Faizabad, which includes Ayodhya.

“No wonder even Ayodhya handed you a defeat,” he added. “Prabhu Ram aaye toh insaaf aaya (With Lord Ram arrived justice).”

MPs to meet

The Trinamool chairperson has convened a meeting of the newly elected MPs of the party at 4pm on Saturday.

“The political situation of the nation, our way forward, our strategy… will be discussed,” said one of the 29.