Kolkata: The slugfest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued in West Bengal as both the political parties called each other ‘gaddar’ (traitors).
Flagging off the second and third phases of the ‘Parivartan Yatra’ from Birbhum and Jhargram, BJP national president JP Nadda stated that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cheated and looted the people of the sate by giving "false hopes".
“With our Parivartan Yatra, Bengal will witness true change. The Chief Minister didn’t keep the promises that she made before coming to power. The TMC supremo feels a threat when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah visit West Bengal. The Prime Minister doesn’t arrive empty-handed but always gives several beneficial schemes for Bengal that the Chief Minister doesn’t implement,” mentioned Nadda.
Countering the BJP national president's claims, Mamata said from a public rally in Murshidabad's Behrampore that the defectors to the saffron camp are ‘gaddar’. She added that ahead of the election "they" [the BJP] will leave no stones unturned to woo everyone by making false promises.
Incidentally, before starting the speech due to microphone problems, Nadda’s podium was changed. Taking that into his stride, the BJP national president said that the podium can be changed but the intention of the BJP to build ‘Sonar Bangla’ will not change.
Slamming the BJP, Mamata Banerjee said that the the saffron camp's only is to sell the country.
“The BJP is privatising everything. From Railways to LIC, everything is being sold. The BJP's sole intention is to sell India,” mentioned the TMC supremo.
It may be recalled that stones were pelted at Nadda’s convoy while he was going to visit Diamond Harbour last December. Taking a potshot at TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Mamata Banerjee, Nadda dared Abhishek to stop him from visiting his own constituency of Diamond Harbour.
“I dare the ruling Trinamool Congress to stop me from visiting Diamond Harbour. I will go there again. The Pishi-Bhaipo (Aunt-Nephew) duo is chief and always resorts to violent politics,” slammed the BJP national president.
At a time when the farmers are agitating over the BJP-led central government’s new farm bills, Mamata Banerjee, in order to woo the farmers of West Bengal, from another public rally in Burdwan said the Trinamool Congress is in favour of the farmers and will lend them every subsidy possible.
“The farmers are agitating for the laws brought by the BJP government. I will lend everything possible to the farmers to uplift their status. I have made 100 English medium schools in the districts where poor people can also go and study. Without farmers no one can survive,” mentioned Mamata while inaugurating Maati Utsav in Burdwan.
According to poll analysts, Birbhum is considered to be a strong citadel of the ruling Trinamool Congress, and the inroads of the saffron camp there may not yield much result.