In a circuitous admission that there was huge deficiency of trust quotient within the Trinamool Congress — which saw stronger leaders rebelling frequently — Bengal Chief Minister on Wednesday accused the BJP of luring and coercing the TMC leaders to join their ranks.
She sought to rely on her personal charisma than on anything else to win the next year’s Assembly elections.
Banerjee who was speaking at a rally in Coochbehar in North Bengal said how “my party leaders are being called up by the BJP and being told to join them. Our trusted leaders like Subrata Bakshi and Anubrata Mandal received calls from Delhi and were told to join the BJP… think how dangerous they are.”
While Bakshi a former MP and is one of Banerjee’s most trusted lieutenants, Mandal a party strongman is the TMC’s Birbhum district president known for his foul mouth.
In an apparent indication that instead of banking on the loyalty factor she would once again rely on her own charisma Banerjee said that only the corrupt TMC leaders fearing arrest and the ones who would not get ticket were joining the BJP.
“I will never join their ranks come what may … they may send me to jail but I will continue to work for the people of Bengal as I have been doing … Those who are scared of not getting a ticket are leaving, those who have taken money (and are apprehending arrest) are leaving,” she said challenging the BJP to send her to jail.
Sending across the message of “solidarity” directly to the people and the grassroots Banerjee said, “I want loyalty from the grassroots level workers of our party, do not bother about what your leaders are doing… act to your conscience because remember that you can change your dresses by the day but you cannot change your ideology… A time has come when you have to stand by the party and turn the things around so that you can help Bengal and its culture survive.”