BJP using money power to win elections, says Mamata

Alipurduar/Jalpaiguri: Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the Trinamool Congress-led Bengal government over its 'involvement' in the tainted Saradha and Narada scams, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee called Modi the "pied piper of thieves and corrupt people."

"Just as the whole city had run after the pied piper, the thieves and corrupt people run after the fake chowkidar who gives them shelter and protection," she said, adding: "the fake chowkidar addressed the rally today after sharing the dais with a person involved in the chit fund scam." Banerjee was addressing a rally at Alipurduar on Sunday.

While addressing another election meeting at Jalpaiguri late on Sunday afternoon, she said: "BJP does not play any constructive role and its sole business is to incite the people of the Hills against those living in the plains."

Banerjee said BJP has no chance of coming back to power in Delhi. "It will lose the elections in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha and Bengal. It will do badly in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as well. Come May 23 and you will see how people will reject the party that survives on riot, loot and murder," the Trinamool supremo said.

Banerjee alleged that the saffron party was spending "cash" to win the elections. "They are giving Rs 1,000 to people to attend their meeting and Rs 5,000 to cast vote in their favour. They have looted people's money in the name of note ban and are now spending the money to win the elections. They have set up a five-star party office in Delhi by looting people," she maintained, adding: "They think by changing some senior police officers they will get more votes. But in reality, the more they change police officers, the lesser their votes will be."

Criticising Modi for not opening closed tea gardens, she said: "The chaiwala had promised to open the closed tea gardens before the 2016 Assembly polls. Now there is no chai, milk or sugar and he has transformed into a fake chowkidar."

In Jalpaiguri, Banerjee gave a list of achievements of the Bengal government. "Kanyashree has helped 60 lakh girls, while one crore students have been benefitted by Sabuj Sathi. The state government has spent Rs 700 crore to pay crop insurance of the farmers. But BJP is jealous of Bengal and is not giving clearance to change the name of the state, which was passed in the state Assembly unanimously."

"When there was trouble in Darjeeling or Jangalmahal, Modi did not come to see the situation and now he has come to incite the people there," she added.

The Trinamool supremo reiterated that if voted to power, BJP will change the Indian Constitution. "In the name of NRC, BJP is harassing people. The names of 22 lakh Hindus and 20 lakh Muslims had been dropped from the NRC in Assam," she said, adding that the Bengal government will never introduce NRC.

She urged people to ensure BJP's defeat in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, saying: "The quicker BJP is ousted, the better it will be for the nation." She called on the young voters in both the constituencies to vote for Trinamool Congress candidates.