Lotus that bloomed in 2019, will be washed away in 2021: Abhishek

Gangarampur (South Dinajpur): Addressing a mammoth rally here on Thursday, Trinamool Youth Congress president and party's MP Abhishek Banerjee urged people to put up a fight in the next 5 months to drive out the BJP from Bengal.

"The lotus that bloomed in 2019 will be washed away in 2021. We should take a pledge to ensure Mamata Banerjee's return for the third time," he said.

Coming down heavily on BJP, he said: "It is BJP's nature to come, get votes and then leave the area. The service is provided by Trinamool Congress. Whether during Amphan or COVID-19, Trinamool has always been by the side of the needy and helpless people."

Calling BJP 'a government of the thieves', he said: "All the corrupt politicians have queued up and enrolled in BJP. It is now a party of thieves. Narendra Modi had once said thieves would be punished, but why is he silent? Why he is not saying a word against the thieves, who are thoroughly corrupt."

Hitting out at Sukanta Majumdar for calling him an 'outsider', Banerjee said: "I am born in Kolkata and speak Bengali language and can write in Bengali. The outsiders like Kailash Vijaywargiya and Amit Shah cannot speak or write in Bengali. BJP is trying to mortgage Bengal to the outsiders. Mamata Banerjee's fight is against the outsiders, who cannot speak or write our language and are trying to get control over Bengal. We will not allow Gujarat to rule Bengal. Do you want Delhi to control Dinajpur, Midnapore or Malda?"

Criticising the BJP for calling him "Bhaipo," he said: "The party leaders do not have the guts to criticise me. The BJP leaders used to say that I am involved in extortion. I am challenging them if they can prove it true, I will hang myself before public and neither ED nor CBI is required for investigation. We believe in the principle of martyr Khudiram Bose and are not power hungry. Mamata Banerjee quitted power several times and our party was established on her principle."

Without naming Suvendu Adhikari and calling him "an asymptomatic traitor," Banerjee said: "Everybody has seen him taking money on television. Those, who think that by becoming traitors they can sell Bengal to Delhi, people will throw away such traitors."

Comparing Mamata Banerjee with Narendra Modi, he said: "Mamata Banerjee is the same as she was 10 years back. She is living in the same small house, wears the same 'hawai chappal' (slippers) whereas Modi travels by a car worth Rs 6 crore."

"BJP leaders had said Bengal should be handed over to Delhi. This arrangement is ideal as it will help them to rob the country," Banerjee remarked.

The leader reiterated that people were by the side of Mamata Banerjee and they would defeat those who were trying to tarnish the image of Bengal. The leader also attacked the saffron party for poor maintenance of National Highway. "Look at the National Highways across the state! All of them are in a deplorable state. People are suffering. I appeal to the Central government to give us the responsibility of maintaining the NHs. Our state government will do it for the public. In a recent administrative meeting in Birbhum, our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said the same," he said.

When the young leader asked the women supporters at the rally whether they wanted Mamata Banerjee to surrender before Delhi, the crowd shouted 'no' in chorus.