West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) helmswoman Mamata Banerjee on Friday sharpened attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) without naming it, and later, also asked her own party to work keeping the 2021 assembly elections in mind.
These developments came following BJP’s launch of its 2021 electoral campaign branded as ‘Aar Noi Mamata’, literally meaning no more Mamata and in essence calling for the toppling of the TMC regime next year in May. BJP has also announced a series of ‘virtual rallies’ concerning five parts of the state. The first such ‘rally’, to be attended by party workers using mobile applications and broadcast live on social media, would be addressed by union home minister Amit Shah on June 9.
On Friday afternoon, while attending a government programme on world environment day, CM Banerjee took digs at the BJP for launching political campaign when the state was battling with the Covid-19 situation and the devastation caused by cyclone Amphan.
“At a time we are fighting disasters, a political party is everyday calling for our removal from power. Is this the time for politics? Why, I am not calling for Narendra Modi’s removal from Delhi? That’s because we don’t consider this to be an appropriate time for politics. Go and serve the people, plant trees and clean ponds. You guys were hiding for three months at a ‘video corner’ of your home while we were working on the field,” Banerjee said.
{{/usCountry}}“At a time we are fighting disasters, a political party is everyday calling for our removal from power. Is this the time for politics? Why, I am not calling for Narendra Modi’s removal from Delhi? That’s because we don’t consider this to be an appropriate time for politics. Go and serve the people, plant trees and clean ponds. You guys were hiding for three months at a ‘video corner’ of your home while we were working on the field,” Banerjee said.
{{/usCountry}}She said Bengal will defeat, “the coronavirus, the disaster and the conspiracies”.
Later, in the evening, she convened a meeting of the party, including its state and district-level leadership, over videoconferencing.
“During the meeting she told us that the BJP has started its electoral campaign and that we, too, will have to work keeping the elections in mind. She said we have to effectively counter BJP’s propaganda and highlight the good work of our government in the past nine years,” said the president of a district unit of TMC who did not want to be named.
BJP, which recently released a nine-point charge sheet against the Mamata Banerjee government, on Friday rubbished Banerjee’s allegations of playing politics in the times of a crisis.
“She is playing politics. The ration and the relief system have been hijacked by the ruling party. Our party’s leaders were not allowed to carry out relief work. The police have been politicised and used to book our leaders in false cases. We have rightly called for the removal of an undemocratic, corrupt and anti-people government,” said BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh
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