Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday drew fierce condemnation from the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) for linking the Opposition alliance — I.N.D.I.A — with terrorist organisations like the ‘Popular Front of India’ and ‘Indian Mujahideen’.
Reacting to the remark, Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee called out PM Modi and the BJP for what he called as being rattled by the name ‘INDIA -Jeetega Bharat’ so much so that they are resorting to desperate tactics in the face of mounting opposition. Kalyan Banerjee singled out the prime minister for his “audacious claims” for condemnation, asserting that the BJP’s attempts at silencing the dissent were backfiring.
“Mr. Modi and the BJP are rattled. They are completely rattled after hearing the name ‘INDIA – _Jeetega Bharat_’. They are in reactive mode. They have no good response. That is why the PM is coming up with all these crazy explanations,” said Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.
Kalyan Banerjee and other TMC leaders asserted that ‘INDIA’ stands for inclusivity and is fighting for the rights of all citizens, unlike the BJP, which they alleged promotes violence and discrimination. “I.ND.I.A is now fighting back. Whether the PM chooses to see it in the Mujahideen or he chooses to see it in the PFI, it is his distorted vision. All we can tell him is to be very careful.”
“The BJP is rattled because all of INDIA has come together on the same platform to fight the excesses and anti-people policies of the BJP. Prime Minister Modi is an expert at naming, but he really doesn’t understand the value of a name and of a word. Remember, this is a man who named a stadium in Ahmedabad after himself and calls it the Narendra Modi Stadium.”
Kalyan Banerjee and other TMC leaders also highlighted the prime minister’s negligence of the issues in Manipur, saying, “This is a man who has renamed a road to _‘Kartavya Path’_ but forgets his _kartavya_ towards the people of Manipur. He does not have the guts to come to Parliament and fulfil his _kartavya_ by addressing the Parliament and having a debate on Manipur.”