Mamata slams ‘chai pe charcha’, says TMC always remains close to people

Taking a dig at BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi over his ‘Chai pe Charcha’ initiative, TMC chief  Mamata Banerjee said her party does not believe in sitting at a tea shop before polls.

‘Unlike the BJP we don’t believe in adda sitting at a tea shop only during election time. Votes are being sought for BJP by showing tea,’ Banerjee said. Claiming that unlike the BJP, her party was always close to the people, she said, ‘I think that instead of sitting in a concrete jungle, it is better to be on the streets because one can get information about the people.’ Addressing her party workers, she said Trinamool Congress’ fight was against the BJP, the Congress and the CPI(M) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. 

‘BJP, Congress, CPI(M) - our fight is against the three. Keep this in mind. We had created the Trinamool Congress against the misrule of the Congress,’ Banerjee said. ‘We will have to fight and win against the CPI(M), Congress and BJP. We want Delhi and all other states to take pride in us,’ she added.

Banerjee said she wanted to see her party at the national level because the challenge for her was to restore the pride of Bengal outside the state. She, however, added, ‘I am not going anywhere from Bengal.’

The party was also targeting states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam, she said. Banerjee would be in Delhi on 18 February and then tour Tripura and Assam on 25 and 26 February  respectively. 

Banerjee blamed the Centre for stalling funds for projects like MNREGA and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan saying that the state government was to receive Rs 8000 crore of which Rs 5000 crore was not sanctioned.