BJP ‘high on power’
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday slammed BJP and said she would not allow “communalism and hooliganism in the state”.
Mamata, also the TMC chief, attacked BJP for vandalising a Vidyasagar statue in May and said she will launch a state-wide protest against the saffron party.
“BJP is high on power. Wake up people and counter BJP. Bengal has seen golden days under TMC,” she said while addressing the Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata.
Taking her request further, Mamata urged paper ballots to return and for people to shun EVMs, adding, “2019 election is not a history but a mystery”.
The chief minister accused the saffron party of luring TMC MLAs with money and other perks.
“Central agencies are threatening our leaders and elected representatives over chit fund scams, asking them to get in touch with the BJP or face prison,” she said.
“The BJP is offering ₹2 crore and a petrol pump to our MLAs to switch over... Just like in Karnataka, the BJP is indulging in horse trading everywhere,” she alleged.
Mamata said the BJP government at the Centre would not last for “more than two years”, considering the way it is functioning, reported The Indian Express.
Mamata was expected to launch the poll campaign for the state elections, which are likely to be held in 2021, reported NDTV online.
Last year, at the Martys’ Day rally, Mamata had set ambitious targets for the Lok Sabha elections - setting her sight on Delhi and calling for a clean sweep of all the 42 parliamentary seats in the state. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then.
In the national elections, the Trinamool Congress, which won 22 seats, lost 12 seats while the BJP gained 16 seats compared to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
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