Lok Sabha Elections 2024: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (March 31) challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to cross the 200 seats benchmark, amid the saffron party’s “400 paar” slogan in the Lok Sabha poll campaign. She claimed that the BJP will lose “badly” in the state while also stating that “Bengal means only TMC”. The Chief Minister asserted that she won't allow the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the state.
Mamata on Mahua's expulsion
Addressing an election rally at Krishnanagar in support of TMC candidate Mahua Moitra, Mamata urged the people to make Mahua Moitra, an expelled MP from Lok Sabha and also a candidate from the Krishnanagar constituency, win in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“Did you people see what happened to Mahua Moitra? Just because she speaks in Parliament. You people have to make Mahua Moitra win and also make TMC win all 42 seats of Bengal...Bengal means only Trinamool Congress (TMC) and no one else...BJP will lose badly in Bengal,'' she said.
She cautioned people that applying for CAA would turn an applicant into a foreigner and urged them not to apply for it.
“The CAA is a trap to turn legal citizens into foreigners. We would allow neither CAA nor NRC in West Bengal,” she said.
Mamata’s challenge to the BJP
Referring to the results of the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal in which TMC registered a massive victory and the BJP’s numbers gained substantially, she dared the BJP to cross the 200 seats mark first.
“The BJP is saying "400 paar", I challenge them to cross the 200 seats benchmark first.
In 2021 assembly polls, they gave a call of 200 plus seats but had to stop at 77," she said.
Banerjee, the TMC supremo, slammed the opposition bloc INDIA partners -- CPI(M) and Congress-- for "joining hands with the BJP" in West Bengal.
“There is no INDIA alliance in West Bengal. The CPI(M) and Congress are working for the BJP in Bengal. Congress is contesting the elections in alliance with the Left here. Voting for them means voting for BJP...,” she said.
Voting in the Krishnanagar constituency will be held in the fourth phase on May 13. The results will be declared on June 4.
(With inputs from agencies)
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