Often proudly claiming to be the true architect of the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had previously decided to contest elections in Bengal without the Congress and the Left. However, on Wednesday, she announced that she would support INDIA Bloc from the outside if it came to power.
Addressing an election rally at Chinsurah in Hooghly district, Mamata said, “After the Modi Government goes we will provide the leadership to the INDIA Bloc and support it from outside and ensure that the people of Bengal — including those who have not been paid the wages for hundred days’ work — get back their rights.”
Mamata’s claim came a day after she told another rally that the first four phases of polling have clearly indicated that the weather for the BJP is changing and that INDIA Bloc would win 315 seats against 195 that would fall in the saffron party’s bag. “Modi is going and there will be no Modi in Delhi… and Didi will ensure that the INDIA Bloc comes to power at the Centre,” she said.
Notwithstanding her “outside support” pledge for INDIA Bloc, Mamata said by INDIA she did not mean the Left and the Congress of Bengal. “I don’t mean the Left and the Congress of Bengal, who are the agents of the BJP and are fighting the elections separately. I am talking about the Congress that is in Delhi,” she said, leading to a lot of criticism from both the Left and the State Congress ranks.
“Didi is also afraid because she is thinking that if the INDIA Bloc comes to power, then she might have to turn to them to save her leaders, her nephew, and herself. So, she is trying to separate the national leadership and the State leadership of the INDIA parties. However, they are not fools. She has managed to save herself by striking a deal with Modi, but after there is no BJP in Delhi, she will have to answer for her misdeeds,” said CPI(M)’s Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.
Back to the rallies both Mamata and Union Home Minister Amit Shah traded relentless fire.
Shah referred to the Sandeshkhali incident saying the Chief Minister had developed her own modus operandi where “she lets her men first commit crimes… and to hide it she gets more crimes committed... Sandeshkhali is a classic example of this.”
On the other hand, Mamata attacked the Prime Minister calling him a publicity man. “Here is a Prachar Babu who wants to get photographed everywhere… asking him to appear in new dresses and get photographed and he has no problem because he wants publicity only… publicity and lies are his two weapons,” Mamata said questioning the Prime Minister’s earlier claims that he was giving cooking gas, ration and other facilities to the people for free.
“He promised `15 lakh in every account… did you get it… he promised 2 crore jobs per year… did you get that job… he is telling you that he is giving gas and ration for free… but that is also not true… he is only a prachar babu who thrives on publicity,” she said.
