West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a rally in Siliguri. She labelled the BJP as the “biggest thief, biggest traitor, and biggest robber,” while asserting that the TMC government operates with integrity and truthfulness.
Addressing a crowd, Banerjee urged people not to fall for false information circulated on social media platforms, which she claimed were propagated by the BJP. “The BJP spreads lies, and creates fake videos on YouTube; don’t trust them. They have misappropriated crores of rupees but don’t believe these allegations. Trust my words; challenge me if you find any fault,” she asserted.
Highlighting the BJP’s unsuccessful attempts to uncover corruption in Bengal, Banerjee pointed out that despite deploying 300 investigation teams, no evidence of corruption was found. “You sent 300 teams to investigate corruption in Bengal, but they found nothing. We have responded to all your inquiries, yet you have not released the funds. So, we don’t need your money, and you shouldn’t take ours. Why should Bengal’s money be taken away? You have no authority,” she added.
Banerjee also criticized the Modi government for failing to address rising unemployment and inflation, especially among the educated youth. “India is facing its highest unemployment rates among educated youth. The skyrocketing prices of commodities are alarming. Who is accountable for this? Where are Narendra Modi’s promises? It’s the central government’s responsibility to manage inflation,” she remarked.
Furthermore, Banerjee slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making hollow promises and suppressing the poor. “Modi’s assurances are nothing but empty promises, guaranteeing no financial assistance for 100 days and oppressing the underprivileged,” she criticized.
The upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Bengal will be conducted in seven phases, beginning on April 19, with the vote counting scheduled for June 4. In the 2014 elections, TMC secured 34 seats in the state, while the BJP managed only two. However, the BJP’s performance improved significantly in 2019, winning 18 seats compared to TMC’s 22, with the Congress and Left parties experiencing a decline in their seat count.