The last day of a truncated seventh phase campaigning saw Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee hitting out both at the BJP and its “buddy” Election Commission for teaming up to defeat the “sane democratic forces” and vouched not to yield an inch of land to the Lotus symbol.
Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “liar” and BJP president Amit Shah a “goonda” who ignited communal fire wherever he went, the Chief Minister held the latter responsible for breaking of renaissance icon Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar’s statue.
Referring to the Tuesday’s incident Banerjee told a huge rally at Diamond Harbour, “it is the habit and culture of the BJP to break statues. They have done it with the statues of other stalwarts like BR Ambedkar too.”
It were the “goondas led by the BJP president — a habitual riot-monger — who broke the statue of our national icon,” Banerjee said rejecting Modi’s offer to erect a grand statue of the social early 19th century social reformer.
Rejecting the Prime Minister’s offer to rebuild a “panch dhatu” (five-metals) statue of Vidya Sagar she said “Bengal does not need your help. We are solvent enough to honour our own icons. We don’t want to take help from you.”
Calling Modi a “liar who promised to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya but went back on his promise,” she said the BJP leaders “should hold their ears and do sit-ups for telling lies and spreading a violent culture in India.” She said “first build the Ram Temple and then build the statue of Vidya Sagar.”
The BJP leaders had insulted the Bengalis by hurting their sentiment and that the people of the State would take the proper revenge for the act, she said. Asking the people not to vote for those who call Bengal a bankrupt state she said Shah was a “goonda neta who called Bengal kangal (destitute),” adding the people of the State were waiting for May 19 when they would “not give BJP a single vote.”
Attacking the ECI for working in the interests of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his saffron outfit she thundered: “Modi is afraid of me (Banerjee) and the Bengali electorate which is why he has now decided to invoke the EC to subjugate the State. But I can assure you that till I am alive I will never let that happen and fight the battle till the last.”
She said the EC had been sold out to the BJP. “ECI seems to have been sold out to the BJP, which is why it is acting in a partisan manner.” While her nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee said, “Lotus cannot bloom inBengal as it only blossoms in mud and the water in Bengal is as clear as crystal” Banerjee said despite media hype and violent attempts to capture power “like they did in Tripura,” the “BJP will get zero seats in Bengal.”
The junior Banerjee is contesting from Bengal’s port town south of Kolkata from where he won last time by more than two lakh votes.
This time round Diamond Harbour is witnessing a multi-cornered fight with TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee contesting against the BJP’s Nilanjan Roy and CPI(M)’s Fuad Halim.
Attacking the EC for giving the Opposition parties a truncated last phase slashing the campaign time by more than a day Banerjee said this was done to suit Prime Minister because “the BJP has no organisational or grassroots base and it depends solely upon Modi,” alleging the poll time was shortened keeping in view the Prime Minister’s public rallies on Thursday.
“The campaigning ends with PM’s rallies. This is a biased way of handling the polls. I am sorry to say that but I have to say it” Banerjee said.
Mamata added, “EC is the other brother of the BJP” which had descended on the electoral battle ground to help the saffron outfit.
Attacking the Prime Minister for addressing his rally at the land of one Kapil Mandal, “one of the main masterminds of the chit fund scam,” Banerjee said, “BJP is spreading violence and falsehood through social media.”
Apart from holding two rallies the Chief Minister on Thursday staged two mega padyatras (long marches) in South Kolkata leading thousands of people.
Apprehending a tough handling by the CAPF of elections in the seventh phase Banerjee said “we will not tolerate any highhandedness by the central forces and we will not allow any firing on that day.” Calling upon the women to “snatch the rifles from those who try to fire at you,” she said the TMC’s women protection group would intervene wherever they would see excesses done by the EC.