Siliguri: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said that while the BJP seeks votes in the name of religion, the TMC appeals to voters on the basis of its development work.
Addressing a campaign meeting in Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri, in support of party candidate Rammohan Ray, Banerjee also assured that long-pending demands for an upgraded government hospital and a women’s college would be fulfilled.
“This place has a BJP MP and MLA, ask them what they have done for the people of Maynaguri. The BJP had promised an AIIMS, a central university, Chila Rai Paramilitary training centre. None of these has seen the light of day,” stated Banerjee, adding that the TMC has fulfilled each and every assurance they had given.
“We upgraded Dhupguri into a subdivision; Maynaguri into a municipality, along with building a fire station here,” added Banerjee. He stated that while the BJP leaders were seasonal tourists, visiting at the times of elections, TMC leaders were “friends in need.”
He also stated: “Mamata Banerjee has stood by people through thick and thin. During natural calamities and the pandemic, she was the only one on the road.”
Banerjee then pulled up the BJP candidate of Dhupguri for his alleged remarks on Gandhi. “He has called Mahatma Gandhi a traitor and even jeered Khudiram Bose. After May 4, we will put up a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of Mukta Mancha, Dak Bungalow. On October 2, I will unveil the statue and also invite the BJP leaders to the programme,” stated Banerjee.
“On one side, there is the BJP, the Union ministers, the CMs of BJP states, ED, CBI, EC, and on the other side, a woman in slippers backed by 10 crore people,” he remarked.
Banerjee also took part in a roadshow in Cooch Behar on Tuesday. The roadshow commenced in front of ABN Seal College in the Cooch Behar South Constituency, passed through key areas of the town, and concluded near the Old Post Office grounds. During the programme, Banerjee offered prayers at the Madan Mohan Temple.
He also took a dig at the BJP’s Cooch Behar South candidate, alleging that the individual resides in Siliguri and is disconnected from local concerns. He urged voters to back TMC candidates Abhijit De Bhowmik and Sangita Roy.