Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 11: The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that the BJP had tried to get her candidature in the State Assembly elections from Bhabanipur constituency in south Kolkata invalidated by attempting to file two false cases against her, but the bid was foiled by Trinamool Congress workers and the public.
“The BJP, with the EC’s help, tried to invalidate my candidature from Bhabanipur yesterday by trying to file two false affidavits against me, but we foiled their game plan,” Ms Banerjee, who is contesting against the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari to retain her seat, said. She, however, did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Katwa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the TMC’s politics of loot and lies, its reign of fear would end soon claiming that in its 15-year rule in the State has brought nothing but fear to every citizen in the State. He also claimed that the TMC failed to win elections in other states as it neither had intent nor policy. PM Modi also alleged that the TMC kept abusing him, made false claims but failed to state what it did for Bengal in last 15 years.
PM Modi said, “…This TMC government has been in power here for 15 years. What have they done in 15 years?… Now think about it, if they haven’t done anything in 15 years, will you get anything by giving them another 5 years?… What development model have they given to Bengal? They don’t talk about these 15 years because then the account of TMC’s lies, TMC’s betrayal, TMC’s misdeeds would be exposed. In 15 years, TMC has developed only one model. Here, the syndicate is the government, and the government is the syndicate,” he said.
PM Modi said the coming elections was “a battle to defeat fear, this is a battle to move Bengal forward on trust.” Today I have come to assure you that the reign of TMC’s fear is now coming to an end… the shop of TMC’s lies and loot is now about to shut down. Fear will leave Bengal, now trust will come to Bengal,” he said.
Mr Modi said the TMC had gone to contest elections in many places outside Bengal. “It went to contest in Tripura, it went to contest in Assam, and it went to contest in Goa. Nowhere does anyone give them even a single vote. The neighbouring states have recognised them, but their dishonesty and thuggery don’t work there, and that’s why no one bothers with them… The TMC can’t win outside Bengal because they have no vision, no ideas, no policies, no intentions,” he said.
“When injustice was done to a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and she was murdered, every family and every youth in Bengal took to the streets. Even the traditional rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal stood shoulder to shoulder against the brutality inflicted on daughters…. Modi has also given a guarantee for Bengal’s sisters and daughters. Files of every injustice and every rape case against daughters will be opened. No one will protect the perpetrators or those who shield the criminals. They will be singled out and held accountable. How will this be done? The Bengal BJP has clearly outlined it in its manifesto. A retired female High Court judge will be entrusted with this responsibility. To ensure women’s safety, women’s police stations will be established in every block,” he said.