A day after Mamata Banerjee announced Trinamool Congress’ plans to contest elections from neighbouring States of Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and Tripura as an apparent antidote to the rising “saffron menace” in Bengal, the Chief Minister on Thursday said Bengal (read TMC) was destined to show India the way in days to come.

“In days to come Bengal will show the way to the rest of the country” at a time when communal and casteist forces were trying to divide India to gain narrow political mileage.

Attacking the BJP and the Government’s run by it for dividing the country communally and along caste and linguistic lines Banerjee said after creating tensions among communities in Assam and Gujarat “they (the BJP) are trying to set one community against the other in Bengal too.

Here they are trying to create a rift between the Bengalis and Hindi-speaking people so that they can reap political harvest.”

However, the BJP would not be able to do what it had done in other States, she said. “They will never be able to divide Bengal for votes. Earlier they tried to do so but failed. This time also they are trying such dirty tricks but this time also they will fail,” Banerjee said.

The Chief Minister who was addressing a large gathering at Samurai near Asansol also said the Left and the Congress were supplying manpower to the BJP in the State and reminded “they (BJP) have two MPs but this time they will be able to win no seats from Bengal.”

The Chief Minister was on an administrative tour of south Bengal districts said the people of Bengal will never tolerate BJP’s divisive policies adding “those who do not perform feel the need of taking such dirty ploys during the elections.” Bengal would once show the country that communal and casteist politics do not affect political process in the State.