BJP won't be able to saffronise Bengal with 'money power', warns Abhishek

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday launched a scathing attack at the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, stating that saffronisation of Bengal will not be possible by using 'money power'.

"The other states can be purchased by the use of money. But saffronisation of Bengal in similar fashion will not be possible," Banerjee said, while addressing a rally held in the city to protest against the rising price of petrol and diesel.

"The Panchayat election results in Bengal, in which Trinamool Congress won all the Zilla Parishads convincingly, has set the stage for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The Karnataka results have indicated clearly that it is time to bid farewell to BJP. All Opposition leaders have indicated that Mamata Banerjee, who visited Karnataka recently, will lead from the front in the Lok Sabha elections. We have to vow to capture all the 42 seats in Lok Sabha," Banerjee said.

He announced that the party will hold rallies in all the districts on Saturday and Sunday, to protest against the skyrocketing price of petrol and diesel. "We will continue our agitation until the price drops. We will go to the last limit but will not retreat until our demands are met," he maintained.

Alleging that BJP is using money power for disturbing communal harmony, Banerjee said, "We are prepared to fight a political battle as our poll plank is the all-round development of Bengal. The government at the Centre has failed in development," he added.

Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee referred to the promise of Modi's 'Acche Din' as 'Kaala Din' (Black Day).

"They have slashed prices in other states but not in Bengal. So we had no other alternative to taking to the streets in protest. We will fight the anti-people decisions of the Centre in district level to the booth level across the state," Chatterjee said.

He maintained that party supremo Mamata Banerjee has always been vocal against any anti-people decision taken by the Centre. "From retail businessmen to common people, everybody is suffering because of the price rise," he added.

Apart from Chatterjee and Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress rally that started from Subodh Mallick Sqaure and ended at Park Street, saw participation by senior leaders like Subrata Bakshi, Shashi Panja, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and Chandrima Bhattacharjee among others.