Calcutta, Aug. 28: The Trinamul Congress and the Congress today traded barbs at each other at two events in Calcutta to mark the foundation day of their respective student unions.

While Congress MPs Adhir Chowdhury and Deepa Das Munshi, both of whom have frosty relations with Mamata Banerjee, alleged that Trinamul’s “sole target is to wipe out the Congress from Bengal”, Trinamul ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Jyotipriya Mullick accused the ally of “colluding with the CPM”.

The Chhatra Parishad event at Mahajati Sadan and the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) programme on Mayo Road, 2km away, were held an hour apart.

Mamata, who was the main speaker at the TMCP event, did not utter a word on the Congress.

At the Chhatra Parishad event, the speakers criticised Mamata for the “lack of governance” in the state.

Irrigation minister Manas Bhunia said: “The Congress will not keep quiet if its workers are attacked.”

Murshidabad strongman Chowdhury said: “Trinamul is not going after the CPM these days. Instead, it is targeting us. ”

Raiganj MP Das Munshi criticised Trinamul’s “hypocrisy”. Referring to the arrest of farmer Shiladitya Chowdhury for questioning the chief minister on rising fertiliser prices, Das Munshi said: “What does Trinamul have to say about its MPs staging dharnas outside Parliament against rising fertiliser prices? Is it not hypocrisy?”

At the Mayo Road rally, panchayat minister Mukherjee tore into the Congress for “colluding with the CPM”. “Earlier, we used to call the Congress the CPM’s B Team. Now, the Congress’s stature has reduced further. It has become a sub-committee of the CPM.”

Without naming the Congress, food minister Mullick said: “Besides the CPM, there is a backstabber looking for chances to attack us.”