In a message that could be well taken note of by her fellow politicians at the national level, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that she knew all the regions, cultures and languages of India like the back of her hand.
Addressing a Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad rally in Kolkata, Banerjee made the circuitous remarks sparking debates among the political pundits regarding her future plans vis-a-vis national politics.
She said, “I have worked throughout India during elections. I know all the regions. I know their languages. I know their cultures like no one does. I know what the people of the country want,” before reminding her Government’s success in making Bengal the “number one state” in several things.
Banerjee’s statement comes amid talks that she and her nephew and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had decided to skip the Bihar rally of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Banerjee said, “Our revenue has gone up nearly 5.5 times since 2011 when we came to power and between 2013 and 2023, we were able to bring 1.72 crore people out of the poverty line. This is higher than the national rate. My Kanyashree model (giving financial aid to every girl student) has become a world model and has won several international prizes.
“We are spending `69,000 crore for education infrastructure. We spend it in fees, free books, dresses, shoes, bags and midday meals for the children.” While we empower women by giving Laxmir Bhandar (`1,000 to women), the BJP runs a ‘corruption bhandar’ and promotes nepotism,” adding how “for four to five consecutive years, Bengal was number one in providing 100 days’ work, building houses for the poor and constructing rural roads” and how “out of jealousy, the BJP Government has stopped all our funds for housing, road construction, hundred days’ work etc.”
Incidentally, TMC mouthpiece Jago Bangla has often projected Banerjee as a leader capable of playing “bigger role” in the national politics. When asked whether she had higher ambitions, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Presently Mamata Banerjee is providing credible leadership to the united opposition. Her presence makes a big difference. It is the TMC that raised the biggest hue and cry in Parliament when the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced. We forced Amit Shah ji to read out the Bill from the fourth row because of the TMC opposition.”