TMC leader Derek O'Brien says 2018 will be Narendra Modi's last address from Red Fort

Kolkata: Not wanting to read too much into the BJP’s triumph in Tripura, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien on Sunday said it would not be possible for the ruling party at the Centre to win the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. O’Brien, who is also the Trinamool parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha, added that the BJP should first think about winning the Lok Sabha elections and then think about capturing Bengal. [caption id=“attachment_634605” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] TMC MP Derek O’Brien. Screen grab/ibnlive[/caption] “They (BJP) are rejoicing too much since Saturday. There are only two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura. What will happen in the rest 543 seats?” O’Brien said at a press meet in Kolkata. “They should first tackle 2019 (elections) and then think of taking over Bengal. This is our clear message to the BJP. If their target is Bengal then our target is Lal Qila. I make it clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not deliver his address from Lal Qila on the Independence Day in 2019,” O’Brien added. He went to the extent of saying that Modi will dish out his Independence Day address for the last time this year. “He will deliver his address from the Lal Qila (Red Fort) in August this year for the last time. It is our challenge to the BJP. “The results of the by-polls in Rajasthan came out only 15 days ago. It included Alwar seat where the BJP won by a margin of 2.80 lakh votes in 2014. But this time the BJP’s margin of 2.80 lakh votes has gone down to minus 1.50 lakhs,” he said.