BJP trying to woo TMC's senior leaders: Mamata
Cooch Behar: Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was giving offers to her party's senior leaders to join the saffron brigade.
In the same breath, she stated that all such efforts to break her party will go in vain as common people are with the Trinamool Congress. At the same time, she also left a strong message for the 'opportunists' who were 'bowing' before the BJP's money bags, forgetting 'ideology' after enjoying all facilities while being in the state's ruling party for the past 10 years.
"The old-timers of the party are with me from day one. But there are some who come in low tide and move out with the high tide only after their interest is served. All this does not matter at all as people are with us," Banerjee said while addressing the rally at Rashmela Ground in Cooch Behar town with a sea of people from all the nine Assembly constituencies in the North Bengal district.
All Trinamool Congress MLAs and senior leaders from the party were present in the meeting.
Accusing BJP of breaking the Opposition political parties, Banerjee made the serious allegation of BJP's move of giving an offer to Trinamool Congress state president Subrata Bakshi and party's Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal to join the ruling party in the Centre.
"They are calling my party's district president and saying that they want to sit with him. They did the same with Anubrata. Just imagine how dangerous they are and do not have the minimum political courtesy," Banerjee said, adding that all these tricks will not help as both of them have given befitting replies to them saying that they are soldiers of Mamata Banerjee.
It may be mentioned that Bakshi, who was present at the Cooch Behar rally on Wednesday, received the call on Tuesday and the caller from Delhi spoke in Hindi. "There are one or two opportunists that are contemplating to walk in another direction contemplating that they are not going to get tickets this time. While there are some who are taking similar steps to save their money and thinking that they may be put behind the bars. I would feel proud if someone puts me behind bars. But I will never bow before BJP, Congress and CPI(M)," she added.
Attacking the RSS for allegedly pushing in 'outsider gundas' in every locality to 'terrorise' people, the Trinamool Congress supremo laid the responsibility on the women brigade in the state to build up resistance in front of them to save Bengal's culture and heritage.
She also gave responsibility on ground and middle-level workers of the party besides directing all leaders in Cooch Behar to give a united fight ensuring the party's victory in the district.
"I would urge BJP to confront me in a political fight with all their force. I am ready to fight as people of Bengal will be with me. I would like to assure people that I will be ready to give my life but will never cheat them like the BJP as they have not fulfilled their pre-poll assurances."
Attacking BJP's Cooch Behar MP Nisith Pramanik — who was thrown out of Trinamool Congress for 'anti-people' activities — Banerjee said how the former was rewarded by the BJP.
Highlighting the inhumane approach of the BJP-led Central government that even took a hefty amount from the state government as fare for Shramik Special trains to send migrant workers home during the nationwide lockdown, Banerjee criticised the saffron party for giving false assurances of giving jobs to people ahead of every single election.
"Now, they have initiated new tricks of promising mobile phones to people. I would urge people not to pay heed to their false promises as they will disappear after the elections," Banerjee said urging people to cast votes in favour of Trinamool Congress in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
"They had managed to bag some seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls as we had realised their game of distributing money a bit late. But this time, it is not going to happen and the victory of Trinamool Congress in 2021 Assembly polls will act as a new direction for the entire nation," Banerjee said, reiterating BJP's insult to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
