"Our motto will be change and not revenge," said senior Trinamool Congress leader and Union Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi.
Speaking to rediff.com after their remarkable win of the party in West Bengal, Trivedi said that at the moment it is not clear what the leadership pattern in Bengal would be, but added that all that would become clear in the days to come.
"The results are just out and we will be meeting soon and deciding the next course of action. I cannot comment who would be the chief minister and who would play a role at the Centre as it is too early to tell. Everything would depend on party chief Mamta Banerjee," he said.
"I would term this as a victory of the people of West Bengal. It is a victory for democracy. Dignity has been restored and it is a vote for development of the state. The people have voted against the politics of the Left Front and also its sponsors who have been depriving the people of the state of their basic needs," he added.
"The five years ahead will be a golden era for West Bengal. Our state has a great potential. We are talented in the health and education sector and there is great potential that needs to be tapped here. All this will be restored in the years to come," he said.
"The biggest change would, however, be the people's right to vote. The elections were always rigged in Bengal and in the years to come the right to vote will be restored. Looking at how this election has gone, I must congratulate the Election Commission which has done a great job in conducting these free and fair elections." he said.
On the charges by the CPI-M that there could be violence, Trivedi maintained, "Our motto has only been change and no revenge. Violence can only be created by them and we are the victors so why would we create any. Last night, their cadres threw bombs on our offices and this is an indicator as to who is causing violence in Bengal. I think the CPI-M should accept defeat gracefully and play the role of a constructive opposition in the state."
"I look forward to a better Bengal. The police force, which is highly politicised, needs to change its attitude and maintain peace in the state. Most importantly they should be allowed to do their work with no interference," he said.
On the Tata Nano issue, Trivedi said that it was the high-handedness of the government which ruined this for Bengal. "It was the will of the people and not the TMC. The people's voices should have been heard properly and if this had been done then the state would have been saved the embarrassment (of the Tata plant moving to Gujarat). Look at the result in Singur. Our candidate has won and that is a testimony of the voice of the people. After all it was a matter of the will of the people in Bengal," he said.
