As he seeks to create a new wave for the Trinamul Congress, Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the party continued to attack the Narendra Modi-led BJP on the 20th day of his campaign here today.

The leader also warned local leaders of his party saying: “Some unwanted elements had infiltrated into our party after the Mamata Banerjee government assumed power in 2011. Now this new wave will drive the garbage out.” Mocking Union home minister Amit Shah, Mr Banerjee said in Raina in East Burdwan today: “He’d claimed barely 15 days ago while touring Bengal that Mamata Banerjee’s government will collapse in 2025, but what we’ve seen yesterday that Shah’s party has been ousted from the whole of the Deccan. These people always talk big and bogus, they’ve got no substance.”

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Mr Banerjee said that his trip to Raina from Jamalpur, usually a 30-minute journey took 2.30 hours as people thronged to meet him on the both sides of the road. He said: “Even one BJP ksryakarta in RSS attire was waiting beside the road and met me with an appeal for street light.

This is the success of my journey. We want people should come forward cutting across their political affiliations seeking development.” He added: “Some housewives waiting for me took me to visit the wretched condition of a PMSY (prime minister sadak yojna) road and I was helpless as we all know that Narendra Modi has blocked all the development funds and also Bengsl’s dues amounting to Rs 1.15 lakh crores as of now.”

Considering the uproar over mismanagement in the ballot system for selection of the party’s panchayat election candidates, Mr Banerjee today provided a dedicated cell number (7887778877) for telephoning in of people’s choices.

Like in Purbasthali, in Jamalpur too the selection process witnessed chaotic scenes yesterday evening. In Purbasthali, names of many of those weren’t followers of minister Swapan Debnath were discarded from the list, allegedly. Even current Panchayat Samiti members like Asrafunnesa Khatun and a booth president of Bogpur gram panchayat, Udayan Murmu were discarded.

Mr Murmu alleged: “Those who’d worked for BJP in 2021 have been accommodated in the list by Debnath’s henchmen.”

In Jamalpur, aides of Block president Mehmood Khan allegedly directed the party supporters to select candidates of Khan’s choice. Representatives