BJP will not come back to power: CM

Bankura/Purulia/Kharagpur: Accusing Narendra Modi of talking nonsense as he is suffering from fear of defeat, Trinamool Congress supremo said the death knell of BJP will be sounded on May 23, the day when the Lok Sabha election result is declared.

Addressing a mammoth rally in Bankura on Thursday afternoon, she clearly indicated that BJP will not come back to power in Delhi and said: "Modi is talking nonsense as he is suffering from the fear of defeat and the death knell of BJP will be sounded on May 23."

At Purulia, Banerjee challenged Modi to prove that his party leaders are involved with the coal mafia as alleged by him. "The Central Industrial Police Force (CISF) guards the coal mines which are under the Ministry of Coal and BJP leaders are its agents. Instead of blaming them, Modi is blaming us. If he can prove that any of my leaders are involved in the matter, I will withdraw the candidature of 42 candidates but if he fails to prove his allegation, he will have to tender apology and do 100 sit-ups holding his ears."

In Bankura, Banerjee alleged that to please Modi, seven-phase elections are being held in Bengal. "It is impossible to bear the heat but still polls are being conducted so that Modi can come and address election rallies. He is least bothered about the people who are suffering from unbearable heat and incredible stressful conditions."

Banerjee said that BJP had used power to hold Modi's meeting in Bankura. "There are 50 owners of the land and out of them only 17 had allowed the party to hold the meeting. BJP used force to hold the rally at the venue," she said. The Chief Minister further added: "Modi had influenced police to get clean chit in Godhra and Gujarat riot incidents."

She also alleged that BJP workers threw chairs and bottles at the police. "Modi babu, this is your culture and not ours. Such incidents do not happen in the meetings of Trinamool Congress leaders," she said.

Banerjee added: "He does not know about our culture and heritage. He says that I do not allow Durga Puja in Bengal. More than one lakh Durga Pujas are held and more than one crore Saraswati Pujas are organised throughout Bengal. He is so shameless that he does not do any homework before addressing the election meetings."

Banerjee urged people to vote for party nominees Subrata Mukherjee, former state minister for Panchayats and Rural Development in Bankura and Mriganka Mahato in Purulia. "Your one vote will help Trinamool to consolidate its position in Delhi and help to form a stable, secular and pro-development government."

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday hailed his Banerjee as a "Bengal tigress" and said she had "taught a lesson" to the Prime Minister.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief attended her election rally in Kharagpur in support of her party's Lok Sabha candidate Manas Bhunia.