National general secretary of Trinamul Congress (TMC) Abhishek Banerjee, kick-started his panchayat poll campaign from Hanskhali in Nadia today with a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a gathering, Mr Banerjee accused the BJP of widespread corruption and called for their removal from power. In his speech, Mr Banerjee criticized the BJP leadership, alleging that they were all involved in corruption. He expressed his confidence that once the BJP is no longer in power, the judiciary will act neutrally and the central investigating agencies will be allowed to work freely, leading to the imprisonment of corrupt leaders.
Mr Banerjee also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of targeting him and his family, claiming that his wife was being restricted at the airport and action was being taken against his three-yearold son. He further alleged that the Prime Minister was not fulfilling his promise of providing funds for the 100-days’ job programme, while spending exorbitant amounts on his own tours.
Challenging PM Modi directly, Mr Banerjee asserted that his arrogance exceeded that of a Prime Minister. He vowed to fight against any attempt to force him into surrender and demanded the release of funds for the 100- days’ job programme.
He urged the gathering to support TMC and promised that elected representatives would serve the people diligently for the next five years. He assured the audience that any leader found guilty of wrongdoing would face punishment. Mr Banerjee was addressing a public meeting at Hanskhali in Nadia district, which has a sizable population of Matua people. In his attack on the BJP, he criticized the central government’s utilization of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), accusing them of using it as a tool to deceive the people.
He pointed out that despite three years having passed since the passage of the CAA, the rules governing its implementation had not been formulated. Banerjee questioned how the government could ask citizens who had already voted in various elections to prove their nationality and labelled such actions insulting. Mr Banerjee aimed at BJP MPs Jagannath Sarkar and Santanu Thakur, highlighting their failure to fulfil employment promises and accusing them of corruption. He challenged Mr Sarkar to provide evidence of employing 18 youths in the nine years of BJP rule, pledging to resign from politics if proven wrong.
He also criticized Santanu Thakur for shutting the door on him during his visit to Thakurbari, while allegedly supporting individuals involved in the Godhra incident. Taking a swipe at the opposition leader Subhendu Adhikari, Mr Banerjee contrasted the TMC’s ability to expel guilty leaders with the BJP’s tendency to include corrupt individuals. He accused the BJP of welcoming those involved in bribery and corruption into their party.