Cong has ‘secret nexus’ with BJP, says Abhishek

Kolkata/Malda: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday blamed Congress for allegedly having a secret nexus with the BJP. He slammed the Congress over its “double standards” in its attempt to fight against the BJP.

Abhishek was addressing a rally on the 10th day of Trinamool-e Nabajowar campaign.

Banerjee criticised state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also the Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha for tacit understanding between Congress and BJP.

“Union Home minister Amit Shah is saying that NRC will be implemented in Bengal. CRPF which works under Shah has been providing security cover to Chowdhury. Adhir does not want state police but he wants Amit Shah’s police here in Bengal. People must understand the secret nexus between Congress and BJP,” Banerjee said on Thursday.

He further attacked Chowdhury by saying: “I will not come to Malda if you can show that Chowdhury has placed the demand for the clearance of dues in Delhi with regards to 100 days work at least once in the last 10 years.”

On Wednesday Banerjee raised questions on whether Congress MPs from Bengal have ever raised the issue of “financial deprivation” of the state by the Centre in Parliament.

Abhishek also accused Chowdhury of never taking the effort to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to highlight the plight of the people of Malda, as the Centre has “blocked the due funds” under the MGNREGA scheme.

Malda, a minority-dominated district, was once considered a stronghold of the Congress. Presently, one of the two Lok Sabha seats in the district is with Congress, whereas another is with the BJP.

Banerjee while addressing a rally in the same district on Wednesday night had said that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, one constituency in Malda was won by BJP, while Congress won the other.

The Congress MP (Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury) and their leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have not once met Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for the people’s dues of Bengal. Chowdhury is a five-time Congress MP from Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad district.

Banerjee during his rally also gave a detailed account of the state government’s schemes. “State is providing Lakshmir Bhandar benefits to 8.34 Lakh women in Malda. Moreover, 35.17 Lakh students received the Aikyashree scholarship in Malda,” he said.

He also hit out at the Centre for making false promises to increase farmers’ income three times by 2022.

“Despite PM Modi’s promise to triple farmers’ income by 2022, there has been no progress. Under his banter of lies, farmers are dying by suicide even in BJP-ruled states,” he said.

“Tremendous support of people in Ratua, Malda! People from all walks of life joined National General Secretary Shri @abhishekaitc at a roadshow and made it a GRAND SUCCESS. With #TrinamooleNaboJowar, we shall walk the path of glory and prosperity” Trinamool stated in its tweet.

Banerjee interacted with senior citizens, held fruitful discussions and sought their blessings.