Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee during her public rally on Wednesday accused the BJP of trying to bribe voters and allegedly lying about providing free ration to Bengal.
Banerjee conducted two public rallies in Hooghly in support of her party candidates Mitali Bagh (Arambagh) and Rachana Banerjee (Hooghly). During her speech, Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of indulging in unethical electoral practices by trying to bribe voters. She alleged they are paying Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 to people to purchase votes.
Banerjee advised people not to vote against the BJP candidates who previously were CPI(M) ‘harmads’. She said that voting for the saffron brigade will unleash a reign of terror in Bengal that was allegedly apparent during the Left Front regime. The TMC supremo also raised the Sandeshkhali issue and alleged that the BJP had paid money to women to make false rape allegations.
On the SSC issue, Banerjee said that the BJP was trying to snatch the jobs of more than 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff but the Supreme Court has done justice and ensured that truth prevails. It is because of the Apex Court verdict that so many jobs could be saved for the time being.
Banerjee accused the BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of spreading lies. She alleged that the PM keeps spreading lies in his rallies in Bengal that the Centre has been providing free ration to the state since pandemic times. She said that the state government provides ration to nine crore people in Bengal. In this, the Centre gives Rs 7,000 crore while the state’s share is Rs 9,000 crore. Following Covid pandemic, in the last two years, to provide ration the state has bought rice worth Rs 18,000 crore. The state has also provided Rs 12,000 crore for it. The Modi government didn’t pay a penny. He is lying, she alleged.
She also trained her guns at the Centre for depriving Bengal of its funds. “Modi says that money meant for 100 days work had been pilfered by our party. Rather Rs 24 crore had been saved by the state government under 100 days’ work,” she said.
The TMC supremo said this election is to change the power equation in Delhi. “This power equation in Delhi has to be altered and change has to be brought in,” she said.