Bengal polls: PM ‘biggest dangabaaz’, will see a fate worse than Trump, says Mamata at Hooghly

Sahaganj: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, branding him as the “biggest rioter”, who will meet a fate “even worse” than that of former US President Donald Trump. Banerjee, speaking at a rally at Sahaganj in Hooghly district from where the prime minister had addressed a public meeting last week, also alleged that Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are spreading lies and hatred throughout the country. “He describes the TMC as a ‘’tolabaj’’ (extortionist) party, but what is he? Narendra Modi is the biggest ‘’dangabaaz’’ (rioter), the biggest ‘’dhandabaaz’’ (opportunist). “You are selling the entire country for crores of rupees, what is that for? Cat money or rat money,” Banerjee said, referring to the BJP’’s repeated allegations of ‘‘cut money’’ (commission) against the Trinamool Congress. The TMC boss exuded confidence that her party will come back to power after the assembly elections. “It will be game on (’’khela hobe’’) in the Assembly polls… I will be the goalkeeper and you (BJP) will not be able to score a single goal. All shots will fly above the goal post,” Banerjee said, invoking the Bengali sentiment for football, the state’s most popular sport. Attacking the BJP, Banerjee said nothing can be gained from the violence that is practised by the party. “He (Modi) had gone to win the elections for Donald Trump. Everyone knows what happened to him. Narendra Modi will meet an even worse fate, she said. Trump lost the 2020 US presidential election to Joe Biden. The chief minister also said that women in the BJP party are not safe and are “being made” to stay quiet. “There are several women in the BJP who cannot speak a single word about what is happening to them. In our party, we give proper respect to women,” she said. Banerjee condemned the recent CBI interrogation of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife in connection with a coal pilferage scam, saying it was an “insult to our women”. “You are against me because I protest against your wrongdoings. You can kill me or do whatever you feel like… but you are insulting women… getting into my house and alleging that a girl who is only 22-23 years of age, a housewife, is a coal thief. Don’t you feel ashamed?” the TMC boss thundered. She also accused the central government of not allowing her government to acquire sick factories of Dunlop and Jessop in 2016 and claimed that BJP leaders stay at residences of Dunlop owner Pawan Ruia, against whom several cases are pending. “They (BJP) will break your backbone if they come to power in West Bengal. They will finish your future and end your dreams. Bengal will rule Bengal. Gujarat will not rule Bengal. Goons will not rule Bengal,” the CM asserted. Meanwhile, at the beginning of the rally, cricketer Manoj Tiwary and several Bengali actors including Kanchan Mallick and Sayani Ghosh, and Chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, Ananya Chakraborti Chatterjee, joined the TMC in presence of Banerjee.