Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a “one on one” fight and claimed that she would hand the saffron brigade a defeat.
As BJP leaders, including former state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, branded Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s associates as “tolabaaz” (extortionists) who allegedly ran “syndicates,” Miss Banerjee also hit back at them in Siliguri today and said there was no syndicate in the country other than Narendra Modi and (Home Minister) Amit Shah.
Addressing a crowd here after a march she led in protest against the hike in prices of petroleum products, Miss Banerjee said: “Syndicate! What Syndicate? India knows only one syndicate that is Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. There is no other syndicate.”
Miss Banerjee addressed the gathering here almost at the same time that Mr Modi criticised her in a Kolkata rally.
A visibly excited Miss Banerjee wondered what the the BJP leaders’ earnings were if they sold out public sector units. “You are the great tolabaz. How much amount of ‘tolabazi’ (cut money) will be involved in the Railways, Sail, Air India, Coal India and Ujjwala!,” Miss Banerjee asked, referring to the Centre’s Ujjwala Yojana, which seeks to provide free cooking gas cylinders to the poor.
She also challenged Mr Modi to a “one on one fight” and claimed: “I would beat the BJP …”
As the PM mocked the TMC’s slogan ‘Khela Habe’ in Kolkata and said: “Khela Shesh … Khela Khatam,” Miss Banerjee here said: “Khela Habe… One on one…”
Significantly, Miss Banerjee also said she does not have any problems if Mr Modi came to Bengal for “propaganda,” “but you will have to answer why an LPG cylinder is costing over Rs 900.”
“The state government is providing rice free of cost to the people, but they boil the same rice by buying LPG at high prices,” she said.
Similarly, as the PM mentioned his party’s slogan ‘Sonar Bangla’ and ‘Aasol Parivartan’ (real change) in Bengal, the CM here said: “No change in Bengal. Change will come in Delhi…BJP will face defeat in all five states.”