As the political battlefield in West Bengal heats up, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee likened the battle between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Hindu epic 'Mahabharat', and alleged that the saffron party, in collaboration with the Election Commission of India (ECI), was targeting supporters of her party.
She made the remarks while speaking at a poll rally in Pandabeswar in the Paschim Bardhaman district.
Banerjee, who was campaigning for TMC candidate Narendra Nath Chakraborty, alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal and claimed that the names of people were added or removed from electoral lists on the pretext of "logical discrepancies". The TMC supremo even promised legal aid for those whose names have been deleted.
"This fight is like the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The BJP is the Kaurava side, and the TMC is the Pandava side," Banerjee said. "I will ask our organisers to contact people whose names have been removed (from the voters' list) and collect their applications. Those will be submitted before tribunals, and they will be provided with lawyers free of cost. Our lawyers will fight their cases."
In her address, the West Bengal chief minister said the TMC will retain power for a fourth straight term. She sarcastically said the BJP has nothing left to, but just to "sit and pick lice". "No matter how much you attack, Bengal will again elect the TMC," she said.
She also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the conflict in the Middle East, recalling the hardships faced by people during the lockdown and demonetisation. Banerjee alleged that the politics of BJP is based on "lies and loot".
"They say they will impose a lockdown and keep everyone confined. Earlier, they made people stand in queues during demonetisation," Banerjee said, without naming PM Modi. "They (BJP) call me a thief. But I have never taken even one rupee as salary in my life. I do not even drink tea that is paid for by someone else."
Elections in West Bengal will be held in two phases (April 23 and 29) this year. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the counting of votes on May 4.
