'I'm a streetfighter, can't be intimidated,' says Mamata, claims there's no alternative to TMC in Bengal

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said there is no alternative to her Trinamool Congress (TMC) and no other party can take its place in the state. Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, was addressing a meeting of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe leaders of the party in Kolkata. “Only the Trinamool Congress is the alternative to the Trinamool Congress, it will go for bettering itself. “No other party can take its place since it has provided the most people-friendly government in the world,” she said. Alleging that the BJP is a “dangerous party” which has “sold off” the country, Banerjee said that the saffron party needs to look into the mirror before eyeing West Bengal, where assembly elections are due in April-May. “Assembly elections will be announced in four to five days,” the chief minister said. Claiming that the BJP has destroyed ‘Sonar Bharat’(golden India) and is now talking of creating ‘Sonar Bangla’, the TMC supremo said, the saffron party is indulging in false propaganda using social media. The TMC supremo claimed that people are suffering in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Tripura. Banerjee said that the saffron party thinks that it can form the government in West Bengal by taking into its fold “some traitors” from the TMC. “Those who resort to violence and have ill-gotten wealth go to the BJP to save their money, nobody goes out of love,” she said, wondering whether the saffron party had turned itself into a washing machine that could cleanse “tainted leaders”. “If migrant workers die, they don’t spend a rupee, but hire jet planes to fly corrupt leaders to Delhi,” she said. Banerjee claimed that people will not forgive those who betray Bengal despite living in the state. “People respect Siraj ud-Daulah, but not Mir Jafar,” she said. Siraj-ud-Daulah was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the East India Company rule over Bengal and later almost all of the Indian subcontinent. Betrayed by Mir Jafar, the commander of the Nawab’s army, he lost the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the administration of Bengal fell into the hands of the East India Company. Banerjee said that some artistes have claimed that the BJP IT cell was pressuring them to make statements in favour of the saffron party in social media. Urging people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to support her party in the coming elections, she said, “They have taken many seats from you in Jangalmahal and north Bengal, they have got all MPs from the region but have they given anything?” The TMC could not win any seat in the north Bengal and Jangalmahal area in the western districts of the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “While we have done everything for the relief of the people affected by cyclone Amphan, we have faced criticism for one or two gaffes,” Banerjee said. Opposition parties, including the BJP, Congress and the Left Front, have been vocal in alleging that Amphan relief funds had been misappropriated by TMC leaders and workers. Mentioning that the Central Government must repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act, she claimed that its existence is a “constant threat” to the citizens of the country. “People must not be intimidated by the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or the National Population Register (NPR),” Banerjee said. Claiming that the TMC government was working for the welfare of the SC and ST communities, the chief minister said, nearly 18 lakh people have been given caste certificates through the ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at doorsteps) programme. Criticising the Union budget allocation for road construction projects in West Bengal, she said that her government has already built 85,000 kilometres of roads in the state and is working on the upgradation of the existing Siliguri-Kolkata highway. The TMC supremo also criticised the Centre for the spiralling fuel prices. She said that while farmers are agitating for the last 70 days demanding the repeal of three farm laws, opposition party leaders, including TMC MP Saugata Roy, were not allowed to enter the dharna area at Singhu border. Banerjee lost her cool at the beginning of her address when a few people rose to make some demands. “I do what I can but I cannot do everything, I am not God,” she said, asserting that she has given everything to the people, but still demands are being made,” Banerjee said. The TMC supremo alleged that disturbances were being purposefully created in her public meetings at the instigation of the CPI(M) and the BJP. Maintaining that she accedes to requests and proper demands, Banerjee asserted that she cannot be blackmailed. “I am a streetfighter, I cannot be intimidated to do anything,” she said. Maintaining that people in Bengal are living in peace and are happy, she said that former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar has said that the situation is bad in the BJP-ruled north-eastern state.