'Supporting Babul means you cast your vote for Mamata...'

kolkata: Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary has urged the voters of Ballygunge that while supporting Babul Supriyo for the forthcoming by-election, they are actually casting their vote in favour of Mamata Banerjee.

Addressing the gathering after the conclusion of a roadshow at Mullickbazar on Thursday afternoon, Banerjee asserted that many BJP leaders and workers want to join the TMC. He also claimed that the Congress and Left had sold out to the BJP. Throwing a challenge he said TMC would win even if BJP implements President's rule in the state. He also added that TMC would win by 250 seats in next state Assembly polls.

The roadshow started from Ballygunge Phari and ended at Mullickbazar covering a distance of 3km. The entire road stretch was converted into a sea of people. Banerjee was accompanied by Babul and TMC's senior leaders including Mala Roy (MP), Manish Gupta, Debashis Kumar and Baisanor Chattopadhyay.

Banerjee said Babul will win by anything between 60,000 to 70,000 votes. He said he would go to Asansol on April 9 to take part in a roadshow in support of Shatrughan Sinha, TMC nominee for the Lok Sabha bypoll. He maintained that Sinha will win by over 2 lakh votes.

Banerjee urged people to cast their vote in favour of Trinamool to give a "smart democratic slap" on the face of BJP. "It will be revenge for humiliating Subrata Mukherjee who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the Narada scam. But that person (read Suvendu Adhikari) who was seen taking money has not been arrested as he took shelter in BJP," he said adding, "Babul had the guts to quit BJP and join Trinamool Congress. If he (Suvendu) has the courage then he should ask his father and brother to resign from TMC and join the BJP. He is going around as if he is an epitome of honesty which he is not." Banerjee assured the voters that he will be there beside Babul to carry out all-round development. Slamming the BJP he said the sole purpose of the party is to stop Mamata Banerjee to carry out development in Bengal. "The party is letting loose CBI and ED against the ministers and office-bearers of Trinamool Congress. I was sent notices 7 to 8 times. I am a person of a different sort and by sending ED they cannot force me to succumb to their pressure. I will never give up my self-respect," he said.Banerjee said the Centre had miserably failed to control the rise in the prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and medicines. "The petrol which used to cost Rs 73.88 a litre in March 2014, now costs about Rs 115 per litre. Kerosene which used to cost Rs 30 per litre one year ago now costs Rs 71," he said."In 2023 there will be elections in Tripura and Meghalaya. In Goa, we did not get any seat though we had contested in 26 seats. However, we have received 9 per cent of the votes...." he said.