“Rejection Election”: Mamata Banerjee’s 2024 Pitch Against BJP At Mega Rally In Kolkata

Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at this time urged the folks to show 2024 right into a “rejection election” to unseat the BJP on the Centre. “Break the shackles of the BJP and its monumental incompetence. Set up a pro-people authorities,” she advised the gang in Kolkata, at a Martyrs’ Day organised by her get together Trinamool Congress. She claimed the BJP won’t get Lok Sabha majority in 2024.

She punctuated her speech with some drama on stage. At one level, she held up tray of muri (puffed rice) – a standard snack — to make a degree in opposition to the latest levying of Items and Providers Tax on necessities that weren’t within the GST web earlier. A fuel cylinder made an look, too. 

“The BJP has misplaced its thoughts,” she mentioned. “They’re imposing GST on muri.” Then she requested the gang to cross some muri, received a bit out of a bag, and known as a jhal muri vendor on stage, saying she would definitely pay him. Holding up his tray, she mentioned, “See, they’ve put GST on muri. Even on mishti (sweets), lassi (buttermilk) and curd… If a affected person will get admitted to hospital, they will cost GST now.”

Ms Banerjee was talking on the get together’s Martyrs’ Day rally, an in any other case annual occasion that could not be held the final two years because of the Covid pandemic. It is extra vital as it’s the first after the get together got here to energy for a 3rd consecutive time period final 12 months.

“Gas costs have additionally gone up,” she mentioned, this time getting an LPG cylinder on stage. She slammed the Centre over privatisation of banks and accused the BJP of utilizing the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme “to coach its personal cadres”.

Referring to the BJP’s return to energy in Maharashtra after Uddhay Thackeray’s authorities fell to a coup, she mentioned, “They suppose, now that they’ve damaged Mumbai, they’ll break Chhattisgarh after which Bengal. I warn them. Do not come right here. There’s a large Royal Bengal Tiger right here.” 

She accused the central authorities of holding up funds to the state. “Hear, BJP. In the event you do not give us our due, we are going to wind up in Delhi… Do not attempt to scare us with ED, CBI (central probe companies). We aren’t cowards. We’ll struggle and win.”

After the occasion at Esplanade in Kolkata, she was scheduled to be at a gathering of get together leaders to resolve whether or not the Trinamool Congress will help the Opposition candidate within the Vice-Presidential elections, because it did within the Presidential elections. 

July 21 is marked as Shahid Diwas or “martyrs’ day” to commemorate the day in 1993 when, throughout the Left authorities, 13 folks have been killed because the Kolkata Police fired at a Youth Congress protest led by Mamata Banerjee. She was the chief of the West Bengal Youth Congress on the time. Whereas she left the Congress later within the Nineteen Nineties, she and her get together proceed to assert the legacy.

TMC employees from throughout the state gathered in Kolkata, the place the preparations have been supervised by the highest management, together with Ms Banerjee’s nephew and TMC Common Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who can be a Lok Sabha member. The employees have been put up in shelters at stadiums over the past two days.

Police deployed 1000’s of additional personnel to handle the gang and site visitors.