‘Dharma Juddho’: Mamata likens TMC-BJP poll fight to Mahabharata

Kolkata: Calling the upcoming Assembly elections in Bengal a “Dharma Juddhho”, Mamata Banerjee on Thursday invoked the Mahabharata, saying her party would defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party the way the Pandavas triumphed over the Kauravas.

She was addressing an election rally in Pandaveswar in West Burdwan. Banerjee expressed concern that the Centre might attempt to impose another lockdown amid the LPG crisis. “Some are saying a lockdown may be imposed so people cannot go out. During Covid, a lockdown was imposed and we helped people in various ways. This time you will not be able to lock people,” she said, attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of Narendra Modi over its handling of the crisis.

Banerjee claimed credit for the inclusion of around 30 lakh names in the voter list that were earlier under adjudication. She said her party would ensure legal recourse for those whose names were deleted. “TMC’s lawyers will help those not on the list fight their cases before tribunals,” she added.

Alleging that the BJP was “taking away voting rights” and “dumping people in the washing machine”, she reiterated her charge that the party inducts corrupt leaders from other parties.

“It is to our credit if 29 to 30 lakh of the over 60 lakh names under adjudication find a place in the list. It is because of our campaign that these names are included. But I want 100 per cent names on the list as they are all genuine voters,” she said, referring to the supplementary list of ‘Under Adjudication’ voters released by the Election Commission of India earlier this week.

Accusing the BJP of harassing people during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Banerjee alleged that the party, in collusion with the Election Commission, was deleting names of valid voters while including those of its supporters.

She urged the Election Commission to publish a complete list explaining discrepancies involving over 60 lakh people and challenged it to release the final list.

Banerjee further alleged that the BJP was attempting to delete names from electoral rolls with the aim of sending people to detention camps under the National Register of Citizens. “Elections will come and go, but there is no party other than the Trinamool Congress that can come to power in West Bengal,” she said.

She asserted that she would not allow the NRC to be implemented in the state and that no one would be sent to detention camps as long as the TMC remained in power. She also alleged that even prominent Bengalis like Amartya Sen were not spared and had been asked to appear for SIR hearings.