Vote for development work done, not on the basis of religion, says Abhishek

Kolkata: Keeping in view the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday asked the people to vote for the fulfilment of their basic needs and development work done and not on the basis of religion.

On Monday, a Sanhati (harmony) rally was held in the city. The rally was led by TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee to spread a message of communal harmony on a day the BJP went hammer and tongs at the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.

After the rally, Abhishek said: “This day is of great importance and pride to me as a Bengali. This is because at a time when there is a display of arms and aggression to mark a religious event in the country, in Bengal, people have gathered from all castes, creeds and religions to express unity and communal harmony.” He added: “Don’t want a certificate from BJP for my religious beliefs. Hinduism has never taught me to divide the community but to unite people”. Abhishek alleged: “We do politics centred on people’s issues, their basic needs. Bengal today is being deprived and discriminated against because a certain political party could not win elections in Bengal. The funds for schemes, such as, 100-day work, rural roads, Awas Yojana, have been withheld. In the last five years, four lakh sixty four thousand crores have been taken away from Bengal by the Union government.” He highlighted: “We don’t do politics over religion. We believe in unity in diversity.

Today, basic issues are being sidelined and a conspiracy has been hatched to deprive the people of Bengal. We need to stand up against this in a united manner in the coming days. You can be from any religion but a public representative’s religion should be humanity, ensuring government schemes are delivered to the people. Poor are being exploited, and religion is being used to manipulate people. I am appealing to all that in the coming days in the election, vote for whichever party you want to but vote on the basis of work done and not on the basis of religion. In a democracy, people have the final say. No matter how big a leader is, it’s the people who always win in a democracy.”