West Bengal Chief Minister, while addressing an election rally at Chinsurah, Hooghly district, on Wednesday, expressed skepticism about the BJP's ambitious target of achieving 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. She said her party - TMC - will support the Opposition's I.N.D.I.A bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre.
"BJP is claiming of winning 400 seats, but people are saying it will not happen this time. We (TMC) will support the I.N.D.I.A bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre," she said.
According to the media reports, Banerjee interestingly made a new definition of the I.N.D.I.A bloc which excludes the CPM and Adhir Chowdhury-led Bengal Congress, claiming the two are with the BJP.
Mamata attacks EC
The TMC chief labeled the Election Commission (EC) as a "puppet" operating under the directives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She criticised the poll body for scheduling the elections over a period of two months, alleging that this decision favoured the saffron party while disregarding the hardships faced by the common people due to excessive heat.
"The Election Commission is a puppet and operates according to Modi's directions. Poll is being held for two-and-half months, have you (poll officials) ever realised the struggle of the common people," Banerjee said.
Accompanying the party's Hooghly nominee actress Rachana Banerjee, the CM accused PM Modi of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by allegedly announcing plans to expand the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to cover senior citizens over 70 years of age during the ongoing elections.
"Why are you saying this now when the elections are on? You should have announced this earlier...Modi babu, you are violating the MCC," she said.
Banerjee declared her party's unwavering stance against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Bengal.
(With PTI inputs)
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