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Have been beaten up many times in my life, earlier by CPM now by BJP, says Mamata Banerjee
“I have been beaten up many times in my life. Earlier the CPM used to beat me up and now the BJP has started doing the same.” Banerjee said at a rally in Gopiballavpur.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee took a shot at both Communist Party of India (CPI) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for tin the run up to the assembly election. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief drew a parallel between the injury she suffered at Nandigram, and the treatment meted out to her under the rule of CPI (M) in Bengal.
“I have been beaten up many times in my life. Earlier the CPM used to beat me up and now the BJP has started doing the same.” Banerjee said at a rally in Gopiballavpur.
The Nandigram incident in which Banerjee sustained bone injuries in her neck, left ankle, foot, right shoulder, and forearm, according to doctors at SSKM who treated her, started a political slugfest with TMC blaming the opposition of ‘conspiracy’ and the latter accusing the chief minister of fabricating the incident to garner sympathy. The Election Commission ultimately ruled it to be an accident.
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Banerjee was also severely injured on August 16, 1990, while leading a Youth Congress rally in South Kolkata. Black and White images of Banerjee with bandages wrapped around her arms and head became a defining moment in Bengal’s political landscape at that time.
Banerjee also hit out at turncoats who have switched parties before the West Bengal polls. “However, the people of CPM have now become BJP. Some of the traitors, greedy people have also joined the BJP,” said Banerjee.
The chief minister of the poll-bound state also talked about BJP’s key pre-poll promise of providing free Covid-19 vaccination in Bihar before the state’s 2020 Assembly elections.
“Narendra Modi promised to vaccinate people of Bihar after coming to power, during elections. But did they provide vaccines? No, they did not, they lied,” said Banerjee.
