Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said even if the saffron Government in the Centre put her behind the bars she will win the 2021 Assembly elections from jail.
Launching her election campaign quite early from Bankura district where her party Trinamool Congress conceded all the seats to the BJP in 2019 general elections the Chief Minister said BJP, which is “the biggest ‘abhishap’ (curse) on the nation is planning to put behind the bars by employing the central agencies but I dare them to do so. I challenge them to get me arrested if they have courage … I will win the elections from inside the prison.”
Calling the BJP a “not a political party but a garbage of lies,” Banerjee said whenever the elections came they rake up the chit fund and Narada pay off issue to intimidate our leaders.
“They set central agencies after her before the elections raking up the Sharada (chit fund) and Narada issues … but I am not afraid of them and am ready to go to jail if they … let them arrest me if they have the courage to do so … I will win from jail,” the Chief Minister said citing how RJD patriarch Laloo Yadav maneuvered his party to near-victory in Bihar from jail.
“Though they jailed Laloo Yadav he ran his party well from inside the prison and brought to a near situation of winning,” Banerjee said accusing the BJP of horse-trading. What was promptly interpreted by the political experts as her diminishing trust on the party colleagues Banerjee said she had not appointed district observers for her party as “I am the observer in all the districts and all the seats,” accusing some TMC leaders for being in touch with the BJP.
“There are some leaders who are with us in the day time and with the BJP during the night … this will not be tolerated,” she said.
Accusing the Marxists of providing the support base for the BJP, Banerjee said “yesterday’s CPI(M) are today’s BJP… these CPI(M) men are joining the BJP to avoid arrest but they must understand that the BJP will never come to power in Bengal.”
The TMC displaced the Left Front in 2011 and ever since it has been in power in Bengal amid accusations of corruption, nepotism, falling law and order etc.
Reacting to Banerjee’s statements Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh wondered why the Chief Minister was afraid of going to jail.
“Cananyone put you in jail if you have done nothing. No power, no law cando that… Here she is afraid of going to jail because she is aware ofher misdeeds,” Ghosh said adding “she will not have to be sent to jailbecause after the month of May next year she will be sent toretirement.