Mamata Banerjee on Sunday focused on everyday issues, drawing attention to the rising cost of cooking gas and linking it to a leader obsessed with building a personality cult while the common people suffered.
The chief minister, who held a protest march along Hill Cart Road in Siliguri with tens of thousands of women, addressed a public meeting at Hashmi Chowk at the end of the rally.
Unlike Modi, who in his 70-minute speech in Calcutta appeared to take a scattershot approach without a definite narrative, Mamata was precise and concentrated her firepower on specific issues.
“The price of LPG cylinders is about to touch Rs 1,000. Those running the country have not made any move so far to arrest the hike. We provide food grains free of cost and, in a similar manner, cylinders should be distributed free among the people,” Mamata said.
The chief minister sought to contrast the price rise with the recent actions of the Prime Minister.
“The Prime Minister keeps coming here for a political campaign… but it is unfortunate that he is only here for political propaganda and even speaks lies. He has renamed after himself a stadium named after Sardar Patel and now, it seems, he intends to rename the country after himself,” the Trinamul Congress chief said, making her first public speech after the announcement of candidates for the eight-phase Bengal Assembly polls.
“He (Modi) has even emblazoned his photo in the Covid-19 injection…. he himself is Covid-19, the virus, and you should not get anywhere close to him. He was never seen here during the pandemic and was into the virtual mode of communication. I, on the other hand, had been on the streets, putting out markings (to ensure social distancing),” the chief minister said, attempting to drive home the point that when the Prime Minister and his party leaders were indoors, she had stepped out to stand with people during crises.
Over the past few weeks, BJP leaders functioning in different tiers, including Modi, the party’s national chief J.P. Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah, have repeatedly tried to exert pressure on Mamata by raising issues such as the alleged highhandedness of illegal syndicates and extortion.
“There is only one syndicate in this country… it is run by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. They are selling off all national assets to serve the interests of their friends. These people committed the real tolabaji (extortion)…. These days, these two people have turned even the BJP into a Union Territory, where everybody else has been silenced,” Mamata said.
Responding to Modi’s questions on law and order in Bengal, Mamata asked him about the BJP-ruled states.
“Women here can move around at any hour of day or night but in Uttar Pradesh, they can’t go out after 3pm. The situation is similar in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. They should not comment on law and order in Bengal,” the chief minister said.
She scoffed at the BJP’s campaign for “Sonar Bangla” and accused the party of failing to run the country properly.
“They have sold off the Red Fort in Delhi and may have plans to sell even the Taj Mahal…. These people are speaking of ‘Sonar Bangla’. If voted to power, they will divide Bengal and sell it,” Mamata said.
Since the beginning of the march, intermittent slogans of “Khela hobe (the game is afoot)” resonated on the streets of Siliguri.
While addressing the gathering, Mamata too uttered the phrase, which is fast gaining popularity ahead of the polls.
“I want to say ‘Khela hobe’ and challenge the Prime Minister to fix the date and venue. I am ready to contest, one on one, and will make them realise that Mamata Banerjee is made of sterner stuff than they give her credit for,” she said.
