From what was her first election-related public rally since the COVID-19-imposed lockdown, Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and CPIM.

The West Bengal Chief Minster was on a two-day administrative visit to Bankura. At the end of the trip she staged her first political rally ahead of next year’s Assembly Elections.

At the meeting in Shunukpahari Hat, Banerjee said, “Earlier, CPIM used to run a horror-regime in Bankura. Lots of people were homeless. People could not dare to come out of their home in Jangalmahal. Has Bankura forgotten everything?”

“Bankura is at peace now. But today CPIM’s harmads are BJP’s harmads. Only the colour has changed, everything else is same. The heart is same only the face has changed.

“CPIM is the most selfish party. BJP always gains everything. Trinamool is the most generous,” she added.

The TMC supremo further talked about BJP’s poaching of its leaders and alleged that the saffron party is “buying” leaders from different parties.

“They have thousands of crores of money now. Earlier, they couldn’t even have a proper meal. One bidi was shared by three. Now they are calling TMC workers and saying ‘I will pay you two crores come over’.

“It’s even more disgusting to see CPIM. They are rallying behind BJP. I haven’t done anything. Just said that I don’t want revenge but change.”

Drawing the example of Lalau Prasad Yadav, Banerjee said that BJP couldn’t even manage a proper victory even after sending the former Bihar CM to prison. If that happens in West Bengal, Banerjee said, she would make TMC win from jail.

“They try to scare TMC only when the election comes so people join them out of fear. They are threatening (TMC workers) to stay inside or go to jail. I’m saying arrest me if you have the courage. I’ll make Trinamool win from jail,” Banerjee warned.

The West Bengal CM also attacked the BJP-led Central Government on the ever-increasing unemployment numbers in India and its reluctance to pay the state’s their dues.

“Unemployment has increased by 40 per cent. They are privatising the railways, they are privatising airports. They’ve stopped paying salaries at many places. They don’t even pay our dues. When they do, they say it has been given by the Central.

“You don’t raise taxes from my state, I won’t ask for your money then. That’s not your money,” Banerjee said.