Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. While speaking at a public meeting in Deganga, North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, Banerjee said that only the Trinamool Congress (TMC) could teach the BJP a lesson in Bengal.
Mamata Banerjee also said that although the Opposition’s INDIA bloc existed on a national level, it did not have any influence in Bengal.
“Why is there so much vanity, so much arrogance today? INDIA will be there across India, and in Bengal it will be the Trinamool Congress fighting the good fight. Remember, only the Trinamool Congress can teach the BJP a lesson in Bengal. It can show the way to the rest of the nation; no other party can do so,” claimed Mamata Banerjee at the public address.
The Bengal CM was referring to the delay in seat-sharing discussions with the I.N.D.I. Alliance ahead of the deadline of December 31. The meeting on December 19 did not yield any results as far as seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha 2024 elections goes.
The Congress and CPM are not seeing eye to eye with Mamata Banerjee in Bengal, with the CPM not willing to hold negotiation talks with the CM.
“The CPM, the Congress and the BJP have hit the streets together. Every day they are conducting rallies, and calling everyone a thief,” said Mamata at the Deganga rally.
The Congress in Bengal wants to contest seven of the nine seats it has a stronghold in, including Behrampore, Malda South, Malda North, Murshidabad, Jangipur, Raiganj, Darjeeling, Purulia and Basirhat.
Mamata Banerjee slams BJP over suspension of MPs
Mamata Banerjee further slammed the BJP over the suspension of a record number of members of Parliament in December 2023.
“There have been many (Union) governments in the past, never before did such things take place…You have seen in Parliament, around 150 (146) MPs have been suspended by them. Has it ever happened before in India? Unprecedented. What is going on is tyranny, terror,” she said.
Bengal CM calls herself ‘pehredaar’
Mamata Banerjee said that she “was, is, and would remain” a “pehredaar” (watchdog). “Do not be misled as long as we are there,” she said to TMC workers.
“The manner in which minorities, Christians, the backward classes, Adivasis, Dalits are being tortured needs to be stopped,” she said, urging TMC party members to come together “in this war for your country, your state, your people.”
However, the CPM state secretary Md Salim feels that Mamata Banerjee had reached an understanding with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to weaken the INDI bloc. Therefore, the Congress’ fight is with the BJP and TMC, he said.
