Trinamul Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that the BJP's "backbone has already been broken" in the previous six phases of the Lok Sabhas elections and the last nail in its coffin would be driven on June 1 when the final leg of the polls will be held.
He asserted that the INDIA bloc would form the government at the Centre after the elections and the funds for rural welfare schemes due to the state, which was allegedly withheld by it, would be released. “As we understand, the BJP’s backbone has already been broken in the previous phases of the elections. The last nail in its coffin would be driven on June 1,” Banerjee, considered number two in the TMC, said at a rally in Bishnupur in South 24 Parganas district. The Diamond Harbour MP claimed that has been using the ED, CBI, Income Tax Department, National Investigation Agency and a section of the media and judiciary to break the TMC.
"My margin of victory (in the elections) has always widened since I have the support of the common people," the national general secretary of the TMC asserted.
He alleged that BJP leaders were not present when Cyclone Remal brought destruction to the region.
"You may not see TMC during your good times, but the sons of the soil will always stand by you during any crisis, be it a cyclone, COVID-19, or any other emergency. But an outsider party like BJP only appears during elections," he said.
Banerjee slammed the saffron party for allegedly making empty promises and halting payment to the people of West Bengal under central schemes like the 100-day work and housing programmes.
The TMC leader said if the BJP had a problem with him, the saffron party could have selected a central leader to contest against him in Diamond Harbour and set a target of a 4 lakh winning margin.
"We deliver whatever we promise, such as social welfare schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar, which helps the people of West Bengal. I have also introduced a pension scheme for all individuals above 60 years in Diamond Harbour," he said.
Playing an audio clip purportedly featuring a BJP woman leader, Banerjee claimed that it revealed the saffron party's plan to terminate the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme after three months if voted to power.
"As long as you support TMC, these social schemes will continue," he assured the crowd.
In another rally at Diamond Harbour, he referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Kolkata and asked the public to question him about the benefits provided by the BJP in the last 10 years.
Banerjee also alleged that BJP goons vandalized a bust of 19th-century Bengali icon Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during a road show of Union Minister Amit Shah in Kolkata ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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