West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the growth of his beard was inversely proportional to the state of the country’s economy.
“They have two syndicates. One [a reference to senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Shah] is a rioter, has sponsored riots in Delhi, Gujarat and UP,” she said, addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district. “And the other one...has slowed industrial growth but is only growing his beard. Sometimes he puts himself above Gandhiji...above Rabindranath Tagore...sometimes calls himself Swami Vivekananda and names stadiums after himself. One day he will sell the country too and name it after himself. Something is wrong with their head. It seems a screw is loose.”
Banerjee said she will remain in Nandigram, the seat from which she is contesting, till the end of elections in the constituency on April 1 as the BJP may have plans to “loot votes by using goons from other states”. She also asked her party workers not to be complacent during the state elections, scheduled between March 27 and April 29.
The West Bengal chief minister said it was shameful that the ruling BJP at the Centre was passing laws while opposition parties were caught up with state polls. “As we [the Opposition] are all busy with Assembly elections in five states, the BJP government is passing laws to intrude into the constitutional powers of the elected government in Delhi by giving more powers to the lieutenant governor,” she said, according to PTI.
Banerjee also alleged that electronic voting machines could be tampered with to aid BJP’s win. To prevent this, she asked TMC polling agents to check the machines twice on elections days and guard the machines till the counting day on May 2. “If members of the central force ask you to leave, tell them that you respect them, but they should not work for Modiji,” she said.
On Thursday, Banerjee had accused the BJP of meddling with the functioning of the Election Commission after the poll panel ordered a flurry of transfers of senior state government officials over the last few days. The Trinamool Congress chief, however, exuded confidence that her party would emerge triumphant in the elections.
In West Bengal, where the term of the 294-seat state Assembly will end on May 31, elections will be held in eight phases on March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29.
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