'Will resign if any other party can do more development work than TMC'
Bongaon: Challenging the opposition political parties while addressing a massive rally at Bongaon Gopalnagar on Wednesday, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said she can resign from the post of Chief Minister any day if anyone can implement the development works as carried out by her government in the past nine years.
"At least 9.5 crore people out of the 10 crore population have received some or the other benefits of the state-run schemes. There is hardly any region in the world that has witnessed such a huge implementation of development work as Bengal," Banerjee said, coming down heavily on the Centre for not clearing the dues including the GST compensation worth Rs 8,500 crore.
The rally witnessed a huge turnout with supporters only from the areas under five Assembly constituencies —Gaighata, Swarupnagar, Bagda, Bongaon North and South — in North 24-Parganas district.
Urging people to get united by forming a 'mahajot' of commoners to fight against the saffron brigade and the canards spread by them, the Chief Minister said: "I am not like BJP that I will run away after elections without fulfilling the assurances. I work day and night for the benefit of all. People are with us as we work for them and BJP cannot break us as we are a hard nut to crack."
A day before attending the agitation by her party's farmers' wing at Gandhi Statue on Mayo Road, Banerjee once again raised her voice against the Centre's contentious farm laws. She claimed that the laws are taking away the farmers' rights to handover the agri-market to corporates and monopolists. Banerjee will address the 'dharna-mancha' in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon.
"Farmers at present do not have any security. Their produce will be taken away forcefully against their will. Moreover, the prices of essential commodities, including potato and onion, are skyrocketing every day. Once the winter is over, the price of potatoes will go up to Rs 60 per kg and the state government will have nothing to do with the introduction of the draconian law," she said.
Even the Centre's Food Corporation of India buys only 70,000 MT paddy from farmers in Bengal and brings in 70 lakh MT from other states. "It is the Bengal government that procures 45 lakh MT rice from farmers at the Minimum Support Price," Banerjee said.
Dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state to take stock of the situation after Amphan as a drama, she attacked the Centre for not extending necessary support to fight back the perils caused by Covid and the Super Cyclone.
"Despite all financial constraints, maximum number of development projects have been taken up and at the same time 3 per cent Dearness Allowance of the state government employees and salaries of ICDS workers have also been increased," she said.
Finding some people showing placards bearing some demands, she urged them to write their issues to her office or visit the 'Duare Sarkar' camps.
